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ROUGH  AND 


TUMBLE 

ENGINEERING 


A BOOK  OF  INSTRUCTIONS 
FOR  OPERATORS  OF  FARM 
AND  TRACTION  ENGINES 


BY 

JAMES  H.M  AGGARD 

FIFTH  EDITION 
REVISED 


m 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  AMERICAN  THRESHERMAN 

MADISON  ,W IS. 


COPYRIGHTED  BY 

B.B. CLARKE 

1891 

ALL  RIGHTS 
RESERVED 


PREFACE. 

In  placing  this  book  before  the  public  the  author  wishes 
it  understood  that  it  is  not  his  intention  to  produce  a 
scientific  work  on  engineering.  Such  a book  would  be 
valuable  only  to  engineers  of  large  stationary  engines. 
In  a nice  engine  room  nice  theories  and  scientific  calcula- 
tions are  practical.  This  book  is  intended  for  engineers  of 
farm  and  traction  engines,  “rough  and  tumble  engineers,” 
who  have  everything  in  their  favor  today,  and  tomorrow 
are  in  mud  holes,  who  with  the  same  engine  do  eight 
horse  work  one  day  and  sixteen  horse  work  the  next  day. 
Reader,  the  author  has  had  all  these  experiences  and  you 
will  have  them,  but  don’t  get  discouraged.  You  can  get 
through  them  to  your  entire  satisfaction. 

Don’t  conclude  that  all  you  need  to  do  is  to  read  this 
book.  It  will  not  make  an  engineer  of  you.  But  read 
it  carefully,  use  good  judgment  and  common  sense,  do 
as  it  tells  you,  and  my  word  for  it,  in  one  month,  you,  for 
all  practical  purposes,  will  be  a better  engineer  than  four- 
fifths  of  the  so-called  engineers  today,  who  think  what 
they  don’t  know  would  not  make  much  of  a book. 


2 


Don’t  deceive  yourself  with  the  idea  that  what  you  get 
out  of  this  will  be  merely  “book  learning.”  What  is  said 
in  this  will  be  plain,  unvarnished,  practical  facts.  It  is 
not  the  author’s  intention  to  use  any  scientific  terms,  but 
plain  everyday  field  talk.  There  will  be  a number^ of 
things  you  will  not  find  in  this  book,  but  nothing  will  be 
left  out  that  would  be  of  practical  value  to  you.  You 
will  not  find  any  geometrical  figures  made  up  of  circles, 
curves,  angles,  letters  and  figures  in  a vain  effort  to  make 
you  understand  the  principle  of  an  eccentric.  While  it 
is  all  very  nice  to  know  these  things,  it  is  not  necessary, 
and  the  putting  ©f  them  in  this  book  would  defeat  the 
very  object  for  which  it  was  intended.  Be  content  with 
being  a good,  practical,  everyday  engineer,  and  all  these 
things  will  come  in  time. 


/ 


3 


INTRODUCTORY. 

If  you  have  not  read  the  preface  on  the  preceding 
pages,  turn  back  and  read  it.  You  will  see  that  we  have 
stated  there  that  we  will  use  no  scientific  terms,  but  plain 
everyday  talk.  It  is  presumed  by  us  that  there  will  be 
more  young  men,  wishing  to  become  good  engineers,  read 
this  work  than  old  engineers.  We  will,  therefore,  be  all 
the  more  plain  and  say  as  little  as  possible  that  will  tend 
to  confuse  the  reader,  and  what  we  do  say  will  be  said  in 
the  same  language  that  we  would  use  if  we  were  in  the 
field,  instructing  you  how  to  handle  your  engine.  So  if 
the  more  experienced  engineer  thinks  we  might  have  gone 
further  in  some  certain  points,  he  will  please  remember 
that  by  so  doing  we  might  confuse  the  less  experienced, 
and  thereby  cover  up  the  very  point  we  tried  to  make 
plain.  And  yet  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  we  will  en- 
deavor to  make  an  engineer  out  of  a man  who  never  saw 
an  engine.  It  is,  therefore,  not  necessary  to  tell  the 
learner  how  an  engine  is  made  or  what  it  looks  like.  We 
are  not  trying  to  teach  you  how  to  build  an  engine,  but 
rather  how  to  handle  one  after  it  is  built;  how  to  know 
when  it  is  in  proper  shape  and  how  to  let  it  alone  when 


4 


it  is  in  shape.  We  will  suppose  that  you  already  know 
as  much  as  an  ordinary  water  boy,  and  just  here  we  will 
say  that  we  have  seen  water  haulers  that  were  more  ca- 
pable of  handling  the  engine  for  which  they  were  hauling 
water,  than  the  engineer,  and  the  engineer  would  not 
have  made  a good  water  boy,  for  the  reason  that  he  was 
lazy,  and  we  want  the  reader  to  stick  a pin  here,  and  if 
he  has  any  symptoms  of  that  complaint,  don’t  undertake 
to  run  an  engine,  for  a lazy  engineer  will  spoil  a good 
engine,  if  by  no  other  means  than  getting  it  in  the  habit 
of  loafing. 


PART  ONE. 


3 

In  order  to  get  the  learner  started,  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  engine  he  is  to  run  is  in  good  running 
order.  It  would  not  be  fair  to  put  the  green  boy  onto 
an  old,  dilapidated,  worn-out  engine,  for  he  might  have 
to  learn  too  fast,  in  order  to  get  the  engine  running  in 
good  shape.  He  might  have  to  learn  so  fast  that  he 
would  get  the  big  head,  or  have  no  head  at  all,  by  the 
time  he  got  through  with  it.  And  I don’t  know  but  that 
a boy  without  a head  is  about  as  good  as  an  engineer 
with  the  big  head.  We  will,  therefore,  suppose  that  his 
engine  is  in  good  running  order.  By  good  running 
order  we  mean  that  it  is  all  there,  and  in  its  proper  place, 
and  that  with  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds  of  steam,  the 
engine  will  start  ofif  at  a good  lively  pace.  And  let  us 
say  here  (remember  that  we  are  talking  of  the  lone  en- 
gine, no  load  considered),  that  if  you  are  starting  a new 
engine  and  it  starts  off  nice  and  easy  with  twenty  pounds, 
you  can  make  up  your  mind  that  you  have  an  engine 
that  is  going  to  be  nice  to  handle  and  give  you  but  little, 
if  any,  trouble.  But  if  it  should  require  fifty  or  sixty 
pounds  to  start  it,  you  want  to  keep  your  eyes  open; 


6 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


something  is  tight;  but  don’t  take  it  to  pieces.  You 
might  get  more  pieces  than  you  would  know  what  to 
do  with.  Oil  the  bearings  freely  and  put  your  engine 
in  motion  and  run  it  carefully  for  a while  and  see  if  you 
don’t  find  something  getting  warm.  If  you  do,  stop  and 
loosen  up  a very  little  and  start  it  up  again.  If  it  still 
heats,  loosen  about  the  same  as  before,  and  you  will  find 
that  it  will  soon  be  all  right.  But  remember  to  loosen 
but  very  little  at  a time,  for  a box  or  journal  will  heat 
from  being  too  lose  as  quickly  as  from  being  too  tight, 
and  you  will  make  trouble  for  yourself,  for  inexperienced 
as  you  are,  you  don’t  know  whether  it  is  too  loose  or 
too  tight,  and  if  you  have  found  a warm  box,  don’t  let 
that  box  take  all  of  your  attention,  but  keep  an  eye  on  all 
other  bearings.  Remember  that  we  are  not  threshing 
yet,  we  have  just  run  the  engine  out  of  the  shed  (and 
for  the  sake  of  the  engine  and  the  young  engineer,  we 
hope  that  it  did  not  stand  out  all  winter)  and  are  getting 
in  shape  for  a good  fall’s  run.  "In  the  meantime,  to  find 
out  if  anything  heats,  you  can  try  your  pumps,  but  to 
help  you  along,  we  will  suppose  that  your  pump,  or  in- 
jector, as  the  case  may  be,  works  all  right. 

Now  suppose  that  we  go  back  where  we  started  this 
new  engine  that  was  slow  to  start  with  less  than  fifty 
pounds,  and  when  it  did  start,  we  watched  it  carefully 
and  found  after  oiling  thoroughly  that  nothing  heated 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING. 


7 


as  far  as  we  could  see.  So  we  conclude  that  the  trouble 
must  be  in  the  cylinder.  Well,  what  next?  Must  we 
take  off  the  cylinder  head  and  look  for  the  trouble? 
Oh,  no,  not  by  any  means.  The  trouble  is  not  serious. 
The  rings  are  a little  tight,  which  is  no  serious  fault. 
Keep  them  well  oiled  and  in  a day  or  two  ten  pounds 
will  start  the  empty  engine  in  good  shape.  If  you  are 
starting  an  engine  that  has  been  run,  the  above  instruc- 
tions are  not  necessary,  but  if  it  is  a new  one  these  pre- 
cautions are  not  out  of  the  way,  and  a great  deal  of  the 
trouble  caused  in  starting  a new  engine  can  be  avoided 
if  these  precautions  are  observed. 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  a hot  box  to  be  caused  from 
a coal  cinder  dropping  in  the  box  in  shipment.  Before 
starting  a new  engine,  clean  out  the  boxes  thoroughly, 
which  can  be  done  by  taking  off  the  caps,  or  top  box, 
and  wiping  the  journal  clean  with  an  oily  rag  or  waste. 
Every  engineer  should  supply  himself  with  this  very  nec- 
essary article,  especially  if  he  is  the  kind  of  an  engineer 
who  intends  to  keep  his  engine  clean. 

The  engine  should  be  run  slowly  and  carefully  for  a 
while,  to  give  a chance  to  find  out  if  anything  is  going 
to  heat  before  putting  on  any  load. 

Now  if  your  engine  is  all  right,  you  can  run  the  pres- 
sure up  to  the  point  of  blowing  off,  which  is  from  one 
hundred  and  twenty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 


8 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


Most  new  pop  valves,  or  safety  valves,  are  set  within 
these  pressures.  I would  advise  you  to  fire  to  the  pop- 
ping off  point,  to  see  that  your  safety  is  all  right.  It  is 
not  uncommon  for  a new  pop  to  stick,  and  as  the  steam 
runs  up  it  is  well  to  try  it,  by  pulling  the  relief  lever. 
If,  on  letting  it  go,  it  stops  the  escaping  steam  at  once, 
it  is  all  right.  If,  however,  the  steam  continues  to  es- 
cape, the  valve  sticks  in  the  chamber.  Usually  a slight 
tap  with  a wrench  or  a hammer  will  stop  it  at  once,  but 
never  get  excited  over  escaping  steam,  and  perhaps  here 
is  as  good  a place  as  any  to  say  to  you,  don’t  get  excited 
over  anything.  As  long  as  you  have  plenty  of  water, 
and  know  you  have,  there  is  no  danger. 

The  young  engineer  will  most  likely  wonder  why  we 
have  not  said  something  about  the  danger  of  explosions. 
We  did  not  start  to  write  about  explosions.  That  is  just 
what  we  don’t  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with.  But, 
you  say,  is  there  no  danger  of  a boiler  exploding?  Yes. 
But  if  you  wish  to  explode  your  boiler  you  must  treat  it 
very  differently  from  the  way  we  advise.  We  have  just 
stated,  that  as  long  as  you  have  plenty  of  water,  and 
knoiv  you  have,  there  is  no  danger.  Well,  how  are  you 
to  know?  This  is  not  a difficult  thing  to  know,  pro- 
vided your  boiler  is  fitted  with  the  proper  appliances,  and 
all  builders  of  any  prominence,  at  this  date,  fit  their  boil- 
ers with  from  two  to  four  try-cocks,  and  a glass  gauge. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


9 


The  boiler  is  tapped  in  from  two  to  four  places  for  the 
try-cocks,  the  location  of  the  cocks  ranging  from  a line 
an  inch  above  the  level  of  the  crown  sheet,  or  top  of  fire 
box,  to  eight  inches  above,  depending  somewhat  on  the 
amount  of  water  space  above  the  crown  sheet,  as  this 
space  differs  very  materially  in  different  makes  of  the 
same  sized  boiler.  The  boiler  is  also  tapped  on  or  near 
the  level  of  the  crown  sheet,  to  receive  the  lower  water 
glass  cock  and  directly  above  this,  for  the  top  cock.  The 
space  between  shows  the  safe  variation  of  the  water. 
Don’t  let  the  water  get  above  the  top  of  the  glass,  for  if 
you  are  running  your  engine  at  hard  work,  you  may 
knock  out  a cylinder  head,  and  don’t  let  it  get  below  the 
lower  gauge,  or  you  may  get  your  own  head  knocked  off. 

Now  the  glass  gauge  is  put  on  for  your  convenience, 
as  you  can  determine  the  location  of  the  water  as  cor- 
rectly by  this  as  if  you  were  looking  directly  into  the 
boiler,  provided  the  glass  gauge  is  in  perfect  order. 
But  as  there  are  a number  of  ways  in  which  it  may  be- 
come disarranged  or  unreliable,  we  want  to  impress  on 
your  mind  that  you  must  not  depend  on  it  entirely.  We 
will  give  these  causes  further  on.  You  are  not  only 
provided  with  the  glass  gauge,  but  with  the  try-cocks. 
These  cocks  are  located  so  that  the  upper  and  lower  cock 
is  on  or  near  the  level  with  the  lower  and  upper  end  of 
the  glass  gauge.  With  another  try-cock  about  on  a level 


IO 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


with  the  center  of  the  glass  gauge,  or  in  other  words,  if 
the  water  stands  about  the  center  of  the  glass  it  will  at 
the  same  time  show  at  the  middle  cock  when  tried.  Now 
we  will  suppose  that  your  glass  gauge  is  in  perfect  con- 
dition and  the  water  shows  two  inches  in  the  glass.  You 
now  try  the  lower  cock,  and  find  plenty  of  water;  you 
will  then  try  the  next  upper  cock  and  get  steam.  Now 
as  the  lower  cock  is  located  below  the  water  line,  shown 
by  the  glass,  and  the  second  cock  above  this  line,  you  not 
only  see  the  water  line  by  the  glass,  but  you  have  a way 
of  proving  it.  Should  the  water  be  within  two  inches 
of  the  top  of  glass  you  again  have  the  line  between  two 
cocks  and  can  also  prove  it.  Now  you  can  know  for  a 
certainty  where  the  water  stands  in  the  boiler,  and  we 
repeat  when  you  know  this,  there  is  nothing  to  fear  from 
this  source.  A properly  constructed  boiler  never  ex- 
plodes, except  from  low  water  or  high  pressure,  and  as 
we  have  already  cautioned  you  about  your  safety  valve, 
you  have  nothing  to  fear,  provided  you  have  made  up 
your  mind  to  follow  these  instructions,  and  unless  you 
can  do  this,  let  your  job  to  one  who  can.  Since  you  say 
you  will  do  as  we  have  directed,  we  will  then  go  back  to 
the  gauges.  Don’t  depend  on  your  glass  gauge  alone, 
for  several  reasons.  One  is,  if  you  depend  on  the  glass 
entirly,  the  try-cocks  become  limed  up  and  are  useless, 
solely  because  they  are  not  used. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  II 

Some  time  ago  the  writer  was  standing  near  a trac- 
tion engine,  when  the  engineer,  (I  guess  I must  call 
him  that)  asked  me  to  stay  with  the  engine  a few  minutes. 
I consented.  After  he  had  been  gone  a short  time  I 
thought  I would  look  after  the  water.  It  showed  about 
two  inches  in  the  glass,  which  was  all  right,  but  as  I have 
advised  you,  I proposed  to  know  that  it  was  there  and 
thought  I would  prove  it  by  trying  the  cocks.  But  on 
attempting  to  try  them  I found  them  limed  up  so1  id. 
Had  I been  hunting  an  engineer,  that  fellow  would  not 
have  secured  the  job.  Suppose  before  I had  looked  at 
the  glass,  it  had  bursted,  which  it  is  liable  to  do  any  time. 
I would  have  shut  the  gauge  cocks  off  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible to  stop  the  escaping  steam  and  water.  Then  I would 
have  tried  the  cocks  to  find  where  the  water  was  in  the 
boiler.  I would  have  been  in  a bad  boat,  not  knowing 
whether  I had  water  or  not.  Shortly  after  this  the 
fellow  that  was  helping  the  engine  run  (I  guess  I will 
put  it  that  way)  came  back.  I asked  him  what  the 
trouble  was  with  his  try  cocks.  He  said,  “Oh,  I don’t 
bother  with  them.”  I asked  him  what  he  would  do  if 
his  glass  should  break.  His  reply  was,  “Oh,  that  won’t 
break.”  Now  such  an  engineer  as  that  spoils  many  a 
good  engine,  and  then  blames  it  on  the  manufacturer. 
Now  this  is  one  good  reason  why  you  are  not  to  depend 
entirely  on  the  glass  gauge.  Another  equally  as  good 


2 


12 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


reason  is,  that  your  glass  may  fool  you,  for  you  see  the 
try-cocks  may  lime  up,  so  may  your  glass  gauge  cocks, 
but  you  say  you  use  them.  You  use  them  by  looking  at 
them.  You  are  not  letting  the  steam  or  water  escape 
from  them  every  few  minutes  and  thereby  cutting  the 
lime  away,  as  is  the  case  with  try-cocks.  Now  you  want 
to  know'  how  you  are  to  keep  them  open.  Well,  that  is 
easy.  Shut  off  the  stop  gauge  and  open  the  drain  cock 
at  bottom  of  gauge  cock.  This  allows  the  water  and 
steam  to  flow  out  of  the  lower  cock.  Then  after  allow- 
ing it  to  escape  a few  seconds,  shut  off  the  lower  gauge 
and  open  the  top  one,  and  allow  it  to  blow  about  the 
same  time.  Then  shut  the  drain  cock  and  open  both 
gauge  cocks,  and  you  will  see  the  water  seek  its  level, 
and  you  can  rest  assured  that  it  is  reliable.  This  little 
operation  I want  you  to  perform  every  day  you  run  an 
engine.  It  will  prevent  you  from  guessing  about  the 
water  level.  I don’t  want  you  to  guess.  I intend  that 
you  shall  know.  You  remember  we  said,  if  you  know 
you  have  water,  you  are  safe,  and  every  one  around  you 
will  be  safe 

Now  here  is  something  I want  you  to  remember. 
Never  be  guilty  of  going  to  your  engine  in  the  morning 
and  building  a fire  simply  because  you  see  water  in  the 
glass.  We  could  give  you  the  names  of  a score  of  men 
who  have  ruined  their  engines  by  doing  this  very  thing. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


13 


You,  as  a matter  of  course,  want  to  know  why  this  can 
do  any  harm.  It  could  not,  if  the  water  in  the  boiler 
were  as  high  as  it  shows  in  the  glass,  but  it  is  not  always 
that  high,  and  that  is  what  causes  the  trouble.  You 
probably  have  lived  long  enough  in  the  world  to  know 
that  there  are  a great  many  boys  in  it,  and  it  seems  to  be 
second  nature  with  them  to  turn  everything  on  an  engine 
that  is  possible  to  turn.  All  glass  gauge  cocks  are  fitted 
with  a small  hand  wheel.  The  small  boy  sees  this  about 
the  first  thing  and  he  begins  to  turn  it,  and  he  generally 
turns  as  long  as  it  turns  easy,  and  when  it  stops  he  will 
try  the  other  one,  and  when  it  stops  he  has  done  the 
mischief,  by  shutting  the  water  off  from  the  boiler,  and 
all  the  water  that  was  in  the  glass  remains  there.  You 
may  have  stopped  work  with  an  ordinary  gauge  of  water, 
and  as  water  expands  when  heated,  it  also  contracts  when 
it  becomes  cool.  Water  will  also  simmer  away,  if  there 
is  any  fire  left  in  the  fire  box,  especially  if  there  should 
be  any  vent  or  leak  in  the  boiler,  and  the  water  may  by 
morning  have  dropped  to  as  much  as  an  inch  below  the 
crown  sheet.  You  approach  the  engine  and  on  looking 
at  the  glass  see  two  or  three  inches  of  water.  Should 
you  start  a fire  without  investigating  any  further,  you 
will  have  done  the  damage,  while  if  you  try  the  gauge 
cocks  first  you  will  discover  that  some  one  has  tampered 
with  the  engine.  The  boy  did  the  mischief  through  no 


14 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


malicious  motives,  but  we  regret  to  say  that  there  are 
people  in  this  world  who  are  mean  enough  to  do  this 
very  thing,  and  not  stop  at  what  the  boy  did  uncon- 
sciously, but  after  shutting  the  water  in  the  gauge  for 
the  purpose  of  deceiving  you,  they  then  go  to  the  blow- 
off  cock  and  let  enough  water  out  to  insure  a dry  crown 
sheet.  While  I detest  a human  being  guilty  of  such  a 
dastardly  trick,  I have  no  sympathy  to  waste  on  an  en- 
gineer who  can  be  caught  in  this  way.  So,  if  by  this 
time  you  have  made  up  your  mind  never  to  build  a fire 
until  you  know  where  the  water  is,  you  will  never  be 
fooled  and  will  never  have  to  explain  an  accident  by 
saying,  “I  thought  I had  plenty  of  water.”  You  may 
be  fooled  in  another  way.  You  are  aware  that  when  a 
boiler  is  fired  up,  or,  in  other  words,  has  a steam  pressure 
on,  the  air  is  excluded,  so  when  the  boiler  cools  down, 
the  steam  condenses  and  becomes  water  again,  hence  the 
space  which  was  occupied  by  steam  now  when  cold  be- 
comes a vacuum. 

Now  should  your  boiler  be  in  perfect  shape,  we  mean 
perfectly  tight,  your  throttle  equally  as  tight,  your  pump 
or  injector  in  perfect  condition,  and  you  were  to  leave 
your  engine  with  the  hose  in  the  tank,  and  the  supply 
globe  to  your  pump  open,  you  will  find  on  returning  to 
your  engine  in  the  morning  that  the  boiler  will  be  nearly 
if  not  quite  full  of  water.  I have  heard  engineers  say 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


15 


that  someone  had  been  tampering  with  their  engines  and 
storm  around  about  it,  while  the  facts  were  that  the 
supply  being  open  the  wTater  simply  flowed  in  from  at- 
mospheric pressure,  in  order  to  fill  the  space  made  vacant 
by  the  condensed  steam.  You  will  find  further  on  that 
all  check  valves  are  arranged  to  prevent  any  flowing  out 
from  the  boiler,  but  nothing  to  prevent  water  flowing  in. 
Such  an  occurrence  will  do  no  harm,  but  the  knowing 
how  it  was  done  may  prevent  your  giving  yourself  away. 

A good  authority  on  steam  boilers  says : “All  ex- 

plosions come  either  from  poor  material,  poor  workman- 
ship, too  high  pressure,  or  a too  low  gauge  of  water.” 
Now  to  protect  yourself  from  the  first  two  causes,  buy 
your  engine  from  some  factory  having  a reputation  for 
doing  good  work  and  for  using  good  material.  The  last 
two  causes  depend  very  much  on  yourself,  if  you  are 
running  your  own  engine.  If  not,  then  see  that  you 
have  an  engineer  who  knows  when  his  safety  valve  is  in 
good  shape  and  who  knows  when  he  has  plenty  of  water, 
or  knows  enough  to  pull  his  fire,  when  for  some  reason 
the  water  should  become  low.  If  poor  material  and 
poor  workmanship  were  unknown  and  carelessness  in 
engineers  were  unknown,  such  a thing  as  a boiler  ex- 
plosion would  also  be  unknown. 

You  no  doubt  have  made  up  your  mind  by  this  time 
that  I have  no  use  for  a careless  engineer,  and  let  me 


il6  ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 

add  right  here  that  if  you  are  inclined  to  be  careless  or 
forgetful,  (they  both  mean  the  same  thing,)  you  are  a 
mighty  poor  risk  for  an  insurance  company,  but  on  the 
other  hand,  if  you  are  careful  and  attentive  to  business, 
you  are  as  safe  a risk  as  any  one.  Your  own  success  and 
the  durability  and  life  of  your  engine  depends  entirely 
upon  you,  and  it  is  not  worth  your  while  to  try  to  shift 
the  responsibility  of  an  accident  to  your  engine  upon 
some  one  else. 

If  you  should  go  away  from  your  engine  and  leave  it 
with  the  water  boy,  or  anyone  who  might  be  handy,  or 
leave  it  alone,  as  is  often  done,  and  something  goes 
wrong  with  the  engine,  you  are  at  fault.  You  had  no 
business  to  leave  it;  but  you  say  you  had  to  go  to  the 
separator  and  help  fix  something  there.  At  the  separator 
is  not  your  place.  It  is  not  our  intention  to  tell  you  how 
to  run  both  ends  of  an  outfit.  We  could  not  tell  you  if 
we  wanted  to.  If  the  men  at  the  separator  can’t  handle 
it,  get  someone  or  get  your  boss  to  get  someone  who  can. 
Your  place  is  at  the  engine.  If  your  engine  is  running 
nicely,  there  is  all  the  more  reason  why  you  should  stay 
by  it,  as  that  is  the  way  to  keep  it  running.  I have  seen 
twenty  dollars’  damage  done  to  the  separator  and  two 
days’  time  lost  all  because  the  engineer  was  as  near  the 
separator  as  he  was  to  the  engine  when  a root  went  into 
the  cylinder.  Stay  with  your  engine,  and  if  anything 


A 22  H.  P.  HEAVY  GEARING  AND  STEEL,  WHEEL  PLOWING  ENGINE 

To  show  this  engine  and  then  say  it  is  a Gaar-Scott,  reminds  us  of  the 
fellow  who  painted  a horse,  and  then  wrote  under  it,  “This  is  a horse.” 
Gaar-Scott  & Co.,  Richmond,  Ind.,  build  a full  line  of  engines  and 
threshers,  including  16  and  18  H.  P.  cast  wheel,  straw  and  standard  coal 
burning  engines.  Also  a splendid  line,,  of  Double  Cylinder  Traction  en- 
gines from  16  to  40  H.  P.  Wood,  coal  and  universal  boilers.  Saw  Mills 
and  Clover  Hullers. 

See  article  on  Standard  Engines,  Page  119. 


U,  w 

0! 

Off**®?* 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


17 


goes  wrong  at  the  separator,  you  are  ready  to  stop  and 
stop  quickly,  and  if  you  are  signaled  to  start  you  are 
ready  to  start  at  once.  You  are  therefore  making  time 
for  your  employer  or  for  yourself,  and  to  make  time 
while  running  a threshing  outfit  means  to  make  money. 
There  are  engineers  running  engines  today  who  waste 
time  enough  every  day  to  pay  their  wages. 

There  is  one  thing  that  may  be  a little  difficult  to  learn, 
and  that  is  to  let  your  engine  alone  when  it  is  all  right. 
I once  gave  a young  fellow  a recommendation  to  a 
farmer  who  wanted  an  engineer,  and  afterward  noticed 
that  when  I happened  around  he  immediately  picked  up 
a wrench  and  commenced  to  loosen  up  first  one  thing  and 
then  another.  If  that  engineer  ever  loses  that  recom- 
mendation he  will  be  out  of  a job,  if  his  getting  one 
depends  on  my  giving  him  another  one.  I wish  to  say 
to  the  learner  that  that  is  not  the  way  to  run  an  engine. 
Whenever  I happen  to  go  around  an  engine,  (and  I 
never  lose  an  opportunity),  and  see  an  engineer  watching 
his  engine,  (now  don’t  understand  me  to  mean  standing 
and  gazing  at  it),  I conclude  that  he  knows  his  business. 
What  I mean  by  watching  an  engine  is,  every  few  min- 
utes let  your  eye  wander  over  the  engine,  and  you  will 
be  surprised  to  see  how  quickly  you  will  detect  anything 
out  of  place.  So  when  I see  an  engineer  watching  his 
engine  closely  while  running,  I am  most  certain  to  see 


i8 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


another  commendable  feature  in  a good  engineer,  and 
that  is,  when  he  stops  his  engine  he  will  pick  up  a greasy 
rag  and  go  over  it  carefully,  wiping  every  working  part, 
watching  or  looking  carefully  at  every  part  he  touches. 
If  a nut  is  working  loose  he  finds  it,  if  a bearing  is  hot 
he  finds  it.  If  any  part  of  his  engine  has  been  cutting, 
he  finds  it.  He  picks  up  a greasy  rag  instead  of  a wrench, 
for  the  engineer  that  understands  his  business  and  at- 
tends to  it  never  picks  up  a wrench  unless  he  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  it.  The  good  engineer  takes  a greasy 
rag,  and  while  he  is  using  it  to  clean  his  engine  he  is  at 
the  same  time  carefully  examining  every  part.  His  main 
object  is  to  see  that  everything  is  all  right.  If  he  finds 
a loose  nut  or  any  part  out  of  place,  he  will  then  have  use 
for  a wrench. 

Now  what  a contrast  there  is  between  this  engineer 
and  a poor  one,  and  unfortunately  there  are  hundreds  of 
poor  engineers  running  portable  and  traction  engines. 
You  will  find  a poor  engineer  very  willing  to  talk.  This 
is  a bad  habit  number  one.  He  cannot  talk  and  have  his 
mind  on  his  work.  Beginners  must  not  forget  this. 
When  I tell  you  how  to  fire  an  engine  you  will  under- 
stand how  important  it  is.  The  poor  engineer  is  very 
apt  to  ask  an  outsider  to  stay  at  his  engine  while  he  goes 
to  the  separator.  This  is  bad  habit  number  two.  Even 
if  the  outsider  is  a good  engineer,  he  does  not  know 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


19 


whether  the  pump  is  throwing  more  water  than  is  being 
used  or  whether  it  is  throwing  less.  He  can  only  ascer- 
tain this  by  watching  the  column  of  water  in  the  glass,  and 
he  hardly  knows  whether  to  throw  in  fuel  or  not.  He 
don’t  want  the  steam  to  go  down,  and  he  don’t  know  at 
what  pressure  the  pop  valve  will  blow  off.  There  may 
be  a box  or  journal  that  has  been  giving  the  engineer 
trouble  and  the  outsider  knows  nothing  about  it.  There 
are  a dozen  other  good  reasons  why  bad  habit  number 
two  is  very  bad. 

If  you  will  watch  the  poor  engineer  when  he  stops  his 
engine,  he  will,  if  he  does  anything,  pick  up  a wrench, 
go  around  to  the  wrist  pin,  strike  the  key  a little  crack, 
draw  down  a nut  or  peck  away  at  something  else.  You 
can’t  see  anything  for  grease  and  dirt,  and  when  he  starts 
up,  ten  to  one  the  wrist  pin  heats,  and  he  stops  and 
loosens  it  up  and  then  it  knocks.  Now  if  he  had  picked 
up  a rag  instead  of  a wrench,  he  would  not  have  hit  that 
key,  but  he  would  have  run  his  hand  over  it  and  if  he 
had  found  it  all  right,  he  would  have  let  it  alone,  and 
would  have  gone  over  the  balance  of  the  engine,  and 
when  he  started  up  again  his  engine  would  have  looked 
better  for  the  wiping  it  got  and  would  have  run  just  as 
well  as  before  he  stopped  it.  Now  you  will  understand 
why  a good  engineer  wears  out  more  rags  than  wrenches, 
while  a poor  one  wears  out  more  wrenches  than  rags. 


20 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


Never  bother  an  engine  until  it  bothers  you.  If  you  do, 
you  will  make  lots  of  grief  for  yourself. 

I have  mentioned  the  bad  habits  of  a poor  engineer  so 
that  you  may  avoid  them.  If  you  carefully  avoid  all  the 
bad  habits  connected  with  the  running  of  an  engine,  you 
will  be  certain  to  fall  into  good  habits  and  will  become  a 
good  engineer. 

TINKERING  ENGINEERS 

After  carelessness,  meddling  with  an  engine  comes 
next  in  the  list  of  bad  habits.  The  tinkering  engineer 
never  knows  whether  his  engine  is  in  good  shape  or  not, 
and  the  chances  are  that  if  he  should  get  it  in  good  shape 
he  would  not  know  enough  to  let  it  alone.  If  anything 
does  actually  go  wrong  with  your  engine,  do  not  be 
afraid  to  take  hold  of  it,  for  something  must  be  done, 
and  you  are  the  one  to  do  it,  but  before  you  do  anything 
be  certain  that  you  know  what  is  wrong.  For  instance, 
should  the  valve  become  disarranged  on  the  valve  stem 
or  in  any  other  way,  do  not  try  to  remedy  the  trouble  by 
changing  the  eccentric,  or  if  the  eccentric  slips  do  not  go 
to  the  valve  to  mend  the  trouble.  I am  well  aware  that 
among  young  engineers  the  impression  prevails  that  a 
valve  is  a wonderful  piece  of  mechanism  liable  to  kick  out 
of  place  and  play  smash  generally.  Now  let  me  tell  you 
right  here  that  a valve  (I  mean  the  ordinary  slide  valve, 
such  as  is  used  on  traction  and  portable  engines),  is  one 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


21 


of  the  simplest  parts  of  an  engine,  and  you  are  not  to 
lose  any  sleep  about  it,  so  be  patient  until  I am  ready  to 
introduce  you  to  this  part  of  your  work. 

If  your  engine  runs  irregularly,  that  is,  if  it  runs  up  to 
a higher  speed  than  you  want,  and  then  runs  down,  you 
are  likely  to  say  at  once,  “Oh,  I know  what  the  trouble 
is,  it  is  the  governor.”  Well,  suppose  it  is,  what  are  you 
going  to  do  about  it,  are  you  going  to  shut  down  at  once 
and  go  to  tinkering  with  it?  No,  don’t  do  that;  stay 
close  to  the  throttle  valve  and  watch  the  governor  closely. 
Keep  your  eye  on  the  governor  stem,  and  when  the  engine 
starts  off  on  one  of  its  high  speed  tilts  you  will  see  the 
stem  go  down  through  the  stuffing  box  and  then  stop 
and  stick  in  one  place  until  the  engine  slows  down  below 
its  regular  speed,  and  it  then  lets  loose  and  goes  up 
quickly  and  your  engine  lopes  off  again.  You  have  now 
located  the  trouble.  It  is  very  likely  in  the  stuffing  box 
around  the  little  brass  rod  or  governor  stem.  The  pack- 
ing has  doubtless  become  dry,  and  by  loosening  it  up  and 
applying  oil  you  may  remedy  the  trouble  until  such  time 
as  you  can  repack  it  with  fresh  packing.  Candle  wick  is 
as  good  for  this  purpose  as  anything  you  can  use. 

But  if  the  governor  does  not  act  as  I have  described 
and  the  stem  seems  to  be  perfectly  free  and  easy  in  the 
box,  and  the  governor  still  acts  queerly,  starting  off  and 
running  fast  for  a few  seconds,  and  then  suddenly  con- 


22 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


eluding  to  take  it  easy,  letting  the  engine  speed  up,  see 
if  the  governor  belt  is  all  right,  and  if  it  is,  it  would  be 
well  for  you  to  stop  and  see  if  a wheel  is  not  loose. 
It  might  be  either  the  little  belt  wheel  or  one  of  the  little 
cog  wheels.  If  you  find  these  are  all  right,  examine  the 
spool  on  the  crank  shaft  from  which  the  governor  is  run 
and  you  will  probably  find  it  loose.  If  the  engine  has 
been  run  for  any  length  of  time,  you  will  always  find  the 
trouble  in  one  of  these  places,  but  if  it  is  a new  one  the 
governor  valve  might  fit  a little  tight  in  the  valve  chamber 
and  you  may  have  to  take  it  out  and  use  a little  emery 
paper  to  take  off  the  rough  projections  on  the  valve. 
Never  use  a file  on  this  valve  if  you  can  get  emery  paper, 
and  I would  advise  you  to  always  have  some  of  it  with 
you.  It  will  often  come  handy. 

Now  if  the  engine  should  start  off  at  a lively  gait  and 
continue  to  run  still  faster,  you  must  stop  at  once.  The 
trouble  this  time  is  surely  in  the  governor.  If  the  belt  is 
all  right,  examine  the  jamb  nuts  on  the  top  of  the  gov- 
ernor valve  stem.  You  will  probably  find  that  these  nuts 
have  worked  loose  and  the  rod  is  working  up,  which  will 
increase  the  speed  of  the  engine.  If  these  are  all  right, 
you  will  find  that  either  a pulley  or  a little  cog  wheel  is 
loose.  A quick  eye  will  locate  the  trouble  before  you 
have  time  to  stop.  If  the  belt  is  loose,  the  governor  will 
lag  while  the  engine  will  run  away.  If  the  wheel  is  loose, 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  2^ 

the  governor  will  most  likely  stop  and  the  engine  will  go 
on  a tear.  If  the  jamb  nut  has  worked  loose,  the  gov- 
ernor will  run  as  usual,  except  that  it  will  increase  its 
speed  as  the  speed  of  the  engine  is  increased.  Now  any 
of  these  little  things  may  happen  and  are  likely  to.  None 
of  them  are  serious,  provided  you  take  my  advice  and 
remain  near  the  engine.  But  if  you  are  thirty  or  forty 
feet  away  from  the  engine  and  the  governor  belt  slips  or 
gets  unlaced,  or  the  pulley  gets  off,  about  the  first  thing 
the  engine  would  do  would  be  to  jump  out  of  the  belt, 
and  by  the  time  you  can  get  to  it,  it  will  be  having  a 
mighty  lively  time  all  alone.  This  might  happen  once 
and  do  no  harm,  and  it  might  happen  again  and  do  a 
great  deal  of  damage.  You  are  being  paid  to  run  the 
engine  and  you  should  stay  by  it.  The  governor  is  not  a 
difficult  thing  to  handle,  but  it  requires  your  attention. 

If  I should  drop  the  discussion  of  the  governor  at  this 
point  you  might  say  that  I had  not  given  you  any  in- 
structions about  how  to  regulate  its  speed.  I really  do 
not  know  whether  it  is  worth  while  to  say  much  about 
regulation,  for  governors  are  of  different  design  and  are 
necessarily  differently  arranged  for  regulating,  but  to 
help  young  learners  I will  take  the  Waters  governor, 
which  is  found  on  many  threshing  and  farm  engines. 
You  will  find  on  the  upper  end  of  the  valve  or  governor 
stem  two  little  brass  nuts.  The  upper  one  is  a thumb  nut 


24 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


and  is  made  fast  to  the  stem.  The  second  nut  is  a loose 
jamb  nut.  To  increase  the  speed  of  the  engine  loosen 
this  jamb  nut  and  take  hold  of  the  thumb  nut  and  turn 
it  back  slowly,  watching  the  motion  of  your  engine  all 
the  while.  When  you  have  obtained  the  speed  you  re- 
quire, run  the  thumb  nut  down  as  tight  as  you  can  with 
your  fingers.  Never  use  a wrench  on  these  nuts.  To 
slow  down  or  slacken  the  speed,  loosen  the  jamb  nut  as 
before,  except  that  you  must  run  it  up  a few  turns,  then 
taking  hold  of  the  thumb  nut,  turn  down  slowly  until 
you  have  the  speed  required,  when  you  again  set  the 
thumb  nut  securely.  In  regulating  the  speed  be  careful 
not  to  press  down  on  the  stem  when  turning,  as  this  will 
make  the  engine  run  a little  slower  than  it  will  after  the 
pressure  of  your  hand  is  removed. 

If  at  any  time  your  engine  refuses  to  start  with  an 
open  throttle,  notice  your  governor  stem,  and  you  will 
find  that  it  has  been  screwed  down  as  far  as  it  will  go. 
This  frequently  happens  with  a new  engine,  the  stem 
having  been  screwed  down  for  its  protection  in  trans- 
portation. 

In  traveling  through  timber  with  an  engine  be  very 
careful  not  to  let  any  over-hanging  limbs  come  in  contact 
with  the  governor.  The  governor  referred  to  is  the  fly 
ball  or  “throttling  governor.”  A throttling  governor  is 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


25 


one  that  throttles  or  controls  the  flow  of  steam  from 
boiler  to  cylinder. 

As  the  speed  of  the  balls  increase  the  centrifugal  force 
tends  to  force  them  further  from  the  axis.  The  mechan- 
ism of  the  governor  is  such  that  this  “pulling  out  ten- 
dency” forces  the  valve  stem  down  into  the  valve 
chamber  and  this  throttles  or  reduces  the  flow  or  volume 
of  steam  to  the  cylinder. 

On  all  throttling  governors,  (which  is  the  one  used 
on  farm  and  traction  engines),  this  pulling  out  tendency 
of  the  balls  is  controlled  by  a spring,  and  if  you  wish  to 
increase  the  speed  of  your  engine  you  have  only  to 
increase  the  tension  of  this  spring;  and  to  slow  down 
your  engine  reduce  the  tension.  The  Monarch  and 
Eclipse  are  governors  of  this  class. 

I think  what  I have  said  regarding  this  particular  class 
of  governors  will  enable  you  to  handle  any  one  you  may 
come  in  contact  with,  as  they  are  all  very  much  alike  in 
these  respects.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  take  time  and 
space  to  describe  a governor  in  detail.  If  you  will  follow 
the  instructions  I have  given  you  the  governor  will  attend 
to  the  rest.  The  other  class  of  governors  are  known  as 
the  fly-wheel  or  eccentric  governor,  and  governs  the  en- 
gine by  the  variation  of  travel  or  throw  of  the  valve,  but 
you  will  not  find  this  class  of  governor  on  your  traction 
engine. 


26 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


PART  TWO. 

WATER  SUPPLY. 

If  you  want  to  be  a successful  engineer  it  is  necessary 
to  know  all  about  the  pump.  I have  no  doubt  that  many 
who  read  this  book  cannot  tell  why  the  old  wooden  pump 
(from  which  he  has  pumped  water  ever  since  he  was  tall 
enough  to  reach  the  handle)  will  pump  water  simply 
because  he  works  the  handle  up  and  down.  If  you  don’t 
know  this  I have  quite  a task  on  my  hands,  for  you  must 
not  attempt  to  run  an  engine  until  you  know  the  principle 
of  the  pump.  If  you  do  understand  the  old  town  pump, 
I will  not  have  much  trouble  with  you,  for  the  same 
principles  are  used  in  the  cross  head  pump.  Do  not 
imagine  that  a cross  head  pump  is  a machine  to  be 
dreaded.  It  is  only  a simple  lift  and  force  pump,  driven 
from  the  cross  head.  That  is  where  it  gets  its  name,  and 
it  doesn’t  mean  that  you  are  to  get  cross  at  it  if  it  doesn’t 
work,  for  nine  times  out  of  ten  the  fault  will  be  yours. 
While  I am  well  aware  that  all  traction  engines  do  not 
have  cross  head  pumps,  yet  with  all  respect  to  the  builders 
of  engines  who  do  not  use  them,  I am  inclined  to  think 
that  all  standard  farm  engines  ought  to  have  one,  because 
it  is  the  most  simple,  the  most  economical,  and  if  prop- 
erly constructed,  the  most  reliable  pump  made. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


2 7 


A cross  head  pump  consists  of  a pump  barrel,  a 
plunger,  one  vertical  check  valve  and  two  horizontal 
check  valves,  a globe  valve  and  one  stop  cock,  with  more 
or  less  piping.  We  will  now  locate  each  of  these  parts, 
and  will  then  note  the  part  that  each  performs  in  the 
process  of  feeding  the  boiler. 

You  will  generally  find  the  pump  barrel  located  under 
the  cylinder  of  the  engine.  It  is  placed  there  for  several 
reasons.  It  is  out  of  the  way  and  it  is  a convenient  place 
from  which  to  connect  it  to  the  cross  head  by  which  it 
is  driven.  On  some  engines  it  is  located  on  the  top  of  or 
at  the  side  of  the  cylinder.  The  plunger  is  connected 
with  the  cross  head  and  in  direct  line  with  the  pump 
barrel,  and  plays  back  and  forth  in  the  barrel.  The  ver- 
tical check  valve  is  placed  between  the  pump  and  the 
water  supply.  It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  that  the  first 
check  be  a vertical,  but  a check  of  some  kind  must  be 
used.  As  the  water  is  lifted  up  to  the  boiler  it  is  more 
convenient  to  use  a vertical  check  at  this  point.  Just 
ahead  and  a few  inches  from  the  pump  barrel  is  a hori- 
zontal check  valve.  Following  the  course  of  the  water 
toward  the  point  where  it  enters  the  boiler,  you  will  find 
another  check  valve.  This  is  called  a “hot  water  check.” 
Just  below  this  check,  or  between  it  and  where  the  water 
enters  the  boiler,  you  will  find  a stop  cock,  or  it  may  be  a 
globe  valve.  They  both  answer  the  same  purpose.  I will 

3 


28 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


tell  you  further  on  why  a stop  cock  is  preferable  to  a 
globe  valve.  While  the  cross  head  pumps  may  differ  as 
to  location  and  arrangement,  you  will  find  that  they 
require  the  parts  described  and  that  the  checks  are  so 
placed  that  they  bear  the  same  relation  to  each  other. 
No  fewer  parts  can  be  used  in  a pump  required  to  lift 
water  and  force  it  against  steam  pressure.  More  check 
valves  may  be  used,  but  it  would  not  do  to  use  less.  Each 
has  its  work  to  do,  and  the  failure  of  one  defeats  all  the 
others.  The  pump  barrel  is  a hollow  cylinder,  the 
chamber  being  large  enough  to  admit  the  plunger,  which 
varies  in  size  from  % of  an  inch  to  i inch  in  diameter, 
depending  upon  the  size  of  the  boiler  to  be  supplied. 
The  barrel  is  usually  a few  inches  longer  than  the  stroke 
of  the  engine,  and  is  provided  at  the  cross  head  end  with 
a stuffing  box  and  nut.  At  the  discharge  end  it  is  tapped 
out  to  admit  of  piping  to  conduct  water  from  the  pump. 
At  the  same  end  and  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  travel  of 
the  plunger  it  is  tapped  for  a second  pipe,  through  which 
water  from  the  supply  reaches  the  pump  barrel.  The 
plunger  is  usually  made  of  steel  and  turned  down  to  fit 
snug  in  the  chamber,  and  is  long  enough  to  play  the  full 
stroke  of  the  engine  between  the  stuffing  box  and  point 
of  supply  and  to  connect  with  the  driver  on  the  cross 
head.  Now,  we  will  take  it  for  granted,  that,  to  begin 
with,  the  pump  is  in  good  order,  and  we  will  start  it  up 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


29 


a stroke  at  a time  and  watch  it  work.  When  we  start 
the  pump  we  must  open  the  little  pet  cock  between  the 
two  horizontal  check  valves.  The  globe  valve  must  be 
open  so  as  to  let  the  water  in.  A check  valve,  whether  it 
is  vertical  or  horizontal,  will  allow  water  to  pass  through 
it  one  way  only,  if  it  is  in  good  working  order.  If  the 
water  will  pass  through  both  ways,  it  is  of  no  account. 
Now,  the  engine  starts  on  the  outward  stroke  and  draws 
the  plunger  out  of  the  chamber.  This  leaves  a space  in 
the  barrel  which  must  be  filled.  Air  cannot  get  into  it, 
because  the  pump  is  in  perfect  order,  neither  can  the  air 
get  to  it  through  the  hose,  as  it  is  in  the  water,  so  that 
the  air  pressure  on  the  surface  of  the  water  causes  it  to 
flow  up  through  the  pipes,  through  the  first  check  valve 
and  into  the  pump  barrel.  If  the  engine  has  a 12-inch 
stroke,  and  the  plunger  is  1 inch  in  diameter,  we  have  a 
column  of  water  in  the  pump  12  inches  long  and  1 inch 
in  diameter. 

The  engine  has  now  reached  its  outward  stroke  and 
starts  back.  The  plunger  comes  back  with  it  and  takes 
the  space  occupied  by  the  water,  which  must  get  out  of 
the  way  for  the  plunger.  The  water  came  up  through  the 
first  check  valve,  but  it  can’s  get  back  that  way,  as  we 
have  stated.  There  is  another  check  valve  just  ahead, 
and  as  the  plunger  travels  back  it  drives  the  water 
through  this  second  check.  When  the  plunger  reaches 


30 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


the  end  of  the  backward  stroke,  it  has  driven  the  water 
all  out.  It  then  starts  forward  again,  but  the  water 
which  has  been  driven  through  the  second  check  cannot 
get  back  and  this  space  is  again  filled  from  the  supply. 
The  first  four  or  five  strokes  of  the  plunger  are  required 
to  fill  the  pipes  between  the  second  check  valve  and  the 
hot  water  check  valve.  If  the  gauge  shows  ioo  pounds 
of  steam,  the  hot  water  check  is  held  shut  by  ioo  pounds 
pressure,  and  when  the  space  between  the  check  valves  is 
filled  with  water,  the  next  stroke  of  the  plunger  will 
force  the  water  through  the  hot  water  check  valve, 
which  is  held  shut  by  the  ioo  pounds  steam  pressure  so 
that  the  pump  must  force  the  water  against  this  hot 
water  check  valve  with  a power  greater  than  ioo  pounds 
pressure.  If  the  pump  is  in  good  condition,  the  plunger 
does  its  work  and  the  water  is  forced  through  into  the 
boiler.  A clear  sharp  click  of  the  valves  at  each  stroke 
of  the  plunger  is  certain  evidence  that  the  pump  is  work- 
ing well. 

The  small  drain  cock  is  placed  between  the  horizontal 
checks  to  assist  in  starting  the  pump,  to  tell  when  the 
pump  is  working,  and  to  drain  the  water  off  to  prevent 
freezing.  When  the  pump  is  started  this  drain  cock 
should  be  opened,  and  the  hot  water  in  the  pipes  drained 
off.  The  globe  valve  should  then  be  opened.  After  a few 
strokes  of  the  plunger,  and  water  begins  to  flow  out 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


31 


through  the  drain  cock,  the  latter  must  be  closed,  you  may 
be  reasonably  certain  now  that  the  pump  is  working  all 
right  If  at  any  time  you  are  in  doubt  as  to  whether  the 
pump  is  forcing  the  water  through  the  pipes,  you  can 
easily  ascertain  by  opening  this  drain  cock.  It  will  al- 
ways discharge  cold  water  when  the  pump  is  working. 
Another  way  to  tell  if  the  pump  is  working,  is  by  plac- 
ing your  hand  on  the  first  two  check  valves.  If  they  are 
cold  the  pump  is  working  all  right,  but  if  they  are  warm, 
the  cold  water  is  not  being  forced  through  them. 

A stop  cock  should  be  used  next  to  the  boiler,  as  you 
can  ascertain  whether  it  is  open  or  shut  by  merely  looking 
at  it,  while  the  globe  valve  can  be  closed  by  some  meddle- 
some party  and  you  would  not  discover  it,  until  some 
part  of  your  pump  is  broken  by  forcing  water  against  it. 

Now  if  I were  to  sit  down  and  “Talk  engine”  to  you, 
I no  doubt  would  say  things  that  would  need  explain- 
ing, or,  in  other  words  ought  to  be  made  clearer,  for  in- 
stance on  page  9,  I say,  (In  referring  to  an  engine  whose 
rings  might  be  a “little  tight,”)  “keep  them  well  oiled.” 
Now  this  means  that  you  must  keep  your  lubricator  in 
good  shape.  That  is  you  must  see  that  the  cylinder  is 
getting  plenty  of  oil,  for  this  is  the  only  way  to  “oil  the 
rings.” 

It  is  very  important  when  the  pump  fails  to  work  to 
ascertain  what  the  trouble  is.  If  it  should  stop  sud- 


32 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


denly,  examine  the  tank  and  ascertain  if  you  have  any 
water.  If  you  have  sufficient  water,  it  may  be  that  there 
is  air  in  the  pump  chamber,  and  the  only  way  that  it  can 
get  in  is  through  the  stuffing  box  around  the  plunger,  if 
the  pipes  are  all  tight.  Give  this  stuffing  nut  a turn,  and 
if  the  pump  starts  off  all  right,  you  have  found  the  trou- 
ble, and  it  would  be  well  to  re-pack  the  pump  the  first 
chance  you  get. 

If  the  trouble  is  not  in  the  stuffing  box,  go  to  the  tank 
and  see  if  there  is  anything  over  the  screen  or  strainer 
at  the  end  of  the  hose.  If  there  is  not,  take  hold  of  the 
hose  and  you  can  tell  if  there  is  any  suction.  Then 
ascertain  if  the  water  flows  in  and  then  out  of  the  hose 
again.  You  can  tell  this  by  holding  your  hand  loosely 
over  the  end  of  the  hose.  If  you  find  that  it  draws  the 
water  in  and  then  forces  it  out  again,  the  trouble  is  with 
the  first  check  valve.  There  is  something  under  it  which 
prevents  its  shutting  down.  If,  however,  you  find  that 
there  is  no  suction  at  the  end  of  the  hose  examine  the 
second  check.  If  there  should  be  something  under  it,  it 
would  prevent  the  pump  from  working,  because  when  the 
plunger  starts  back,  if  the  check  fails  to  hold,  the  water 
will  flow  back  and  fill  the  pump  barrel  again  and  there 
will  be  no  suction. 

The  trouble  may,  however,  be  in  the  hot  water  check, 
and  it  can  always  be  told  whether  it  is  in  the  second  check 


THE  CASE  ENGINE 

which  you  see  here  is  possibly  familiar  to  more  readers  of  Rough  and 
Tumble  Engineering  than  any  I can  show,  and  it  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say  that  it  is  built  by  the  J.  I.  Case  Threshing  Machine  Co.,  Racine, 


Wisconsin. 


See  article  on  Standard  Engines,  Page  119. 


V 


JS 


1 


ROUGIi-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


33 


or  hot  water  check  by  opening  the  little  drain  cock.  If 
the  water  which  goes  out  through  it  is  cold,  the  trouble 
is  in  the  second  check;  but,  if  hot  water  and  steam  are 
blown  out  through  this  little  drain  cock,  the  trouble  is  in 
the  hot  water  check,  or  the  one  next  to  the  boiler.  This 
check  must  never  be  tampered  with  without  first  turning 
the  stop  cock  between  it  and  the  boiler.  The  valve  can 
then  be  taken  out  and  the  obstruction  removed.  Be  very 
careful  never  to  take  out  the  hot  water  check  without 
closing  the  stop  cock,  for  if  you  do  you  will  get  badly 
scalded;  and  never  start  the  pump  without  opening  this 
valve,  for  if  you  do,  it  will  burst  the  pump. 

The  obstruction  under  the  valves  is  sometimes  hard  to 
find.  A young  man  in  southern  Iowa  got  badly  fooled 
by  a little  pebble  about  the  size  of  a pea,  which  got  into 
the  pipe,  and  when  he  started  his  pump  the  pebble  would 
be  forced  up  under  the  check  and  let  the  water  back. 
When  he  took  the  check  out  the  pebble  was  not  there,  for 
it  had  dropped  back  into  the  pipe.  You  will  see  that  it  is 
necessary  to  make  a careful  examination,  and  not  get 
mad,  pick  up  a wrench  and  whack  away  at  the  check 
valve,  bruising  it  so  that  it  will  not  work.  Remember 
that  it  would  work  if  it  could,  and  make  up  your  mind  to 
find  out  why  it  don’t  work.  A few  years  ago  I was 
called  several  miles  to  see  an  engine  on  which  the  pump 
would  not  work.  The  engine  had  been  idle  for  two  days 


34 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


and  the  engineer  had  been  trying  all  that  time  to  make 
the  pump  work.  I took  the  cap  off  of  the  horizontal 
check,  just  forward  of  the  pump  barrel,  and  took  the 
valve  out  and  discovered  that  the  check  was  reversed.  I 
told  the  engineer  that  if  he  would  put  the  check  in  so 
that  the  water  could  get  through,  he  would  have  no  more 
trouble.  This  fellow  had  lost  his  head.  He  was  com- 
pletely rattled.  He  insisted  that  “the  valve  had  always 
been  on  that  way”  although  the  engine  had  been  run  two 
years. 

Now  the  facts  in  this  case  were  as  follows : The  old 
check  valve  in  place  of  the  one  referred  to  had  been  one 
known  as  a stem  valve,  or  floating  valve.  This  stem  by 
some  means  had  broken  off,  but  it  did  not  prevent  the 
valve  from  working.  The  stem,  however,  worked  for- 
ward till  it  reached  the  hot  water  check,  and  lodged  under 
the  valve,  which  prevented  this  check  from  working  and 
his  pump  refused  to  work ; the  engineer  soon  found  where 
the  stem  had  broken  off,  and  instead  of  looking  for  it, 
sent  to  town  for  a new  check.  After  putting  this  on  the 
pump  now  refused  to  work  for  two  reasons.  One  was, 
he  had  not  removed  the  broken  stem  from  the  hot  water 
check,  and  another  was,  that  the  new  check  was  in  wrong 
end  to.  After  wasting  another  hour  or  two  he  finally 
found  and  removed  the  stem  from  the  hot  water  check, 
but  his  pump  still  refused  to  work.  And  then  as  the 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


35 


boys  say,  “he  laid  down/’  and  when  I called  his  attention 
to  the  new  valve  being  in  wrong,  he  was  so  completely 
rattled  that  he  made  use  of  the  above  expression. 

There  are  other  causes  that  would  prevent  the  pump 
from  working  besides  lack  of  packing  and  obstructions 
under  the  valves.  The  valve  may  stick.  When  it  is 
raised  to  allow  the  water  to  flow  through,  it  may  stick 
in  the  valve  chamber  and  refuse  to  settle  back  in  the  seat. 
This  may  be  caused  by  a little  rough  place  in  the  cham- 
ber, or  a little  projection  on  the  valve,  and  can  generally 
be  remedied  by  tapping  the  under  side  of  the  check  with 
a wrench  or  hammer.  Do  not  strike  it  so  hard  as  to 
bruise  the  check  but  simply  tap  it.  If  this  don’t  remedy 
the  trouble,  take  the  valve  out,  bore  a hole  in  a board 
about  Yz  inch  deep  and  large  enough  to  permit  the  valve 
to  be  turned.  Drop  a little  emery  dust  in  this  hole.  If 
you  haven’t  any  emery  dust,  scrape  some  grit  from  a 
common  whetstone.  If  you  have  no  whetstone,  put  some 
very  fine  sand  or  gritty  soil  in  the  hole,  put  the  valve  on 
top  of  it,  put  your  brace  on  the  valve  and  turn  it  vigor- 
ously for  a few  minutes,  and  you  will  remove  all  rough- 
ness. 

Constant  use  may  somtimes  make  a burr  on  the  valve 
which  will  cause  it  to  stick.  Put  it  through  the  above 
course  and  it  will  be  as  good  as  new.  If  this  little  pro- 


36  ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 

cess  was  generally  known,  a great  deal  of  trouble  and 
annoyance  could  be  avoided. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  describe  other  styles  of 
pumps.  If  you  know  how  ito  run  the  cross  head  pump 
you  can  run  any  of  the  others.  Some  engines  have  a 
cross  head  pump  only.  Others  have  an  independent 
pump.  Others  have  an  injector,  or  inspirator,  and  some 
have  both  cross  head  pump  and  injector.  I think  a farm 
engine  should  be  supplied  with  both. 

It  is  neither  wise  nor  necessary  to  go  into  a detailed 
description  of  an  injector.  The  young  reader  will  be 
likely  to  become  convinced  that  if  an  injector  works  for 
five  minutes,  it  will  continue  to  work,  if  the  conditions 
remain  the  same.  If  the  water  in  the  tank  does  not  be- 
come heated,  and  no  foreign  substance  is  permitted  to 
enter  the  injector,  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  its  work-* 
ing  properly  as  long  as  the  conditions  are  within  the 
range  of  a good  injector.  It  is  a fact  that  with  all  in- 
jectors as  the  vertical  distance  the  injector  lift  is  in- 
creased, it  requires  a greater  steam  pressure  to  start  the 
injector,  and  the  highest  steam  pressure  at  which  the 
injector  will  work  is  greatly  decreased.  If  the  feed  water 
is  heated,  a greater  steam  pressure  is  required  to  start 
the  injector  and  it  will  not  work  with  as  high  steam  pres- 
sure. The  capacity  of  an  injector  is  always  decreased 
as  the  lift  is  increased,  or  the  feed  water  heated.  To 


AVERY  UNDERMOUNTED  ENGINE 

Here  is  an  engine  which  the  writer  has  been  watching  since  its  intro- 
duction, and  I am  now  more  than  pleased  to  list  it  among  the  standard 
engines  of  America.  It  seems  a waste  of  time  and  space  to  say  that  it 
is  built  by  the  Avery  Co.,  of  Peoria,  111.,  as  its  appearance  is  its  own 
name  plate.  Remember  the  “Yellow  Fellow.” 

See  article  on  Standard  Engines.  Page  119. 


mmy 

OF  T HZ 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  2)7, 

obtain  the  most  economical  results  the  proper  sized  in- 
jector must  be  used.  When  the  exact  quantity  of  water 
consumed  per  hour  is  known  it  can  be  easily  determined, 
from  the  capacities  given  in  the  price  lists,  which  sized 
injector  must  be  selected. 

An  injector  must  always  be  selected  having  a maxi- 
mum capacity  in  excess  of  the  water  consumed.  If  the 
exact  amount  of  water  consumed  per  hour  is  not  known, 
and  cannot  be  easily  determined,  the  proper  size  can 
be  approximately  determined  from  the  nominal  H.  P.  of 
the  boiler.  The  usual  custom  has  been  to  allow  yJ/2  gal- 
lons of  water  per  hour  per  H.  P.  which  is  a safe  rule  for 
the  ordinary  type  of  boiler. 

WHAT  A GOOD  INJECTOR  OUGHT  TO  DO 

With  cold  feed  water,  a good  injector  with  a two  foot 
lift  ought  to  start  with  25  pounds  pressure  and  work  up 
to  150  pounds.  With  an  8 foot  lift,  it  ought  to  start  at 
30  pounds  and  work  up  to  130.  With  feed  water  heated 
to  100  degrees  Fahrenheit  it  should  start  with  a two 
foot  lift  at  26  pounds  pressure  and  work  up  to  120  pounds 
and  at  8 feet  from  33  up  to  100  pounds.  You  will  see  by 
this  that  conditions,  consisting  of  variation  of  tempera- 
ture in  the  feed  water  and  different  lifts,  change  the 
efficiency  of  your  injector  very  materially,  and  the  water 
can  soon  get  beyond  the  capacity  of  your  injector  to  work 
at  all.  The  above  refers  more  particularly  to  the  single 


38 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


tube  injector.  The  double  tube  injector,  under  the  same 
conditions  as  above,  should  work  from  14  pounds  to  250, 
and  from  15  to  210,  but  as  this  injector  is  not  generally 
used  on  farm  engines  you  will  most  likely  not  meet  with 
it  very  often. 

The  injector  should  not  be  placed  too  near  the  boiler, 
as  the  heat  therefrom  will  make  it  difficult  to  start  the 
injector  each  time  after  it  has  been  standing  idle. 

If  the  injector  is  so  hot  that  it  will  not  lift  the  cold 
water,  there  is  no  way  of  cooling  it  except  by  applying 
the  water  on  the  outside.  This  is  most  effectively  done 
by  covering  the  injector  with  a cloth  and  pouring  water 
over  the  cloth.  If,  after  the  injector  has  become  cool,  it 
still  refuses  to  work,  you  may  be  sure  that  there  is  some 
obstruction  in  it  that  must  be  removed.  This  can  be  done 
by  taking  off  the  cap,  or  plug-nut,  and  running  a fine 
wire  through  the  cone  valve  or  cylinder  valve.  The  auto- 
matic injector  requires  only  the  manipulation  of  the 
steam  valve  to  start  it.  There  are  other  makes  that  re- 
quire the  opening  of  the  steam  valve  first.  It  requires 
some  little  tact  to  start  an  injector  (and  you  will  dis- 
cover that  tact  is  the  handiest  tool  you  can  have  to  make 
you  a good  engineer).  To  start  an  injector  of  the  Pen- 
berthy  type;  first  give  it  sufficient  steam  to  lift  the  water, 
allowing  the  water  to  escape  at  the  overflow  for  a mo- 
ment, or  long  enough  to  cool  the  injector,  then  with  a 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


39 


quick  turn  shut  off  and  open  up  the  water  supply  which 
requires  merely  a twist  of  the  wrist. 

If  the  injector  fails  to  take  hold  at  once  don’t  get 
ruffled  but  repeat  the  above  move  a few  times  and  you 
will  soon  start  it,  and  if  you  have  tact  (it  is  only  another 
word  for  natural  ability)  you  will  need  no  further  in- 
structions to  start  your  injector.  But  remember  that  no 
injector  can  work  coal  cinders  or  chaf  and  that  all  joints 
must  be  air  tight.  Don’t  forget  this. 

It  is  now  time  to  give  some  attention  to  the  heater. 
While  the  heater  is  no  part  of  the  pump,  it  is  connected 
with  it  and  does  its  work  between  the  two  horizontal 
check  valves.  Its  purpose  is  to  heat  the  water  before  it 
passes  into  the  boiler.  The  water  on  its  way  from  the 
pump  to  the  boiler  is  forced  through  a coil  of  pipes  around 
which  the  exhaust  steam  passes  on  its  way  from  the 
cylinder  to  the  exhaust  nozzle  in  the  smokestack. 

The  heaters  are  made  in  several  different  designs,  but 
it  is  not  necessary  to  describe  all  of  them,  as  they  require 
little  attention  and  they  all  answer  the  same  purpose. 
The  most  of  them  are  made  by  the  use  of  a hollow  bed- 
plate with  steam  fitted  heads  or  plates.  The  water  pipe 
passes  through  the  plate  at  the  end  of  the  heater  into  a 
hollow  chamber,  where  it  is  joined  to  a coil  of  pipe  the 
other  end  of  which  passes  back  through  the  head  or  plate 
to  the  hot  water  check  valve  and  thence  into  the  boiler. 


40 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


The  steam  enters  the  cylinder  from  the  boiler,  varying 
in  degrees  of  heat  from  300  to  500.  After  acting  on  the 
piston  head,  it  is  exhausted  directly  into  the  chamber  or 
hollow  bed-plate  through  which  the  heater  pipes  pass. 
The  water,  when  it  enters  the  heater,  is  as  cold  as  when 
it  left  the  tank,  but  the  steam  which  surrounds  the  pipes 
has  lost  but  little  of  its  heat,  and  by  the  time  the  water 
passes  through  the  coil  of  pipes  it  is  heated  to  nearly  the 
boiling  point  and  can  be  introduced  into  the  boiler  with 
little  tendency  to  reduce  the  steam  pressure.  This  use 
of  the  exhaust  steam  is  economical,  as  it  saves  fuel.  Be- 
sides it  is  considered  injurious  to  pump  cold  water  di- 
rectly into  a hot  boiler. 

If  your  engine  is  fitted  with  both  cross  head  pump  and 
injector,  it  is  better  to  use  the  injector  for  pumping  water 
when  the  engine  is  not  running.  The  injector  heats  the 
water  almost  as  hot  as  the  heater.  If  your  engine  is  run- 
ning and  doing  no  work,  use  your  injector  and  stop  the 
pump;  for,  while  the  engine  is  running  light,  the  small 
amount  of  exhaust  steam  is  not  sufficient  to  heat  the 
water  and  the  pressure  will  be  reduced  rapidly.  You  will 
understand,  therefore,  that  the  injector  is  intended  prin- 
cipally for  emergency  rather  than  for  general  use.  It 
should  always  be  kept  in  order,  for,  should  the  pump  re- 
fuse to  work,  you  have  only  to  start  your  injector  and 
use  it  until  such  time  as  you  can  remedy  the  trouble. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


41 


We  have  now  explained  how  you  get  your  water  sup- 
ply. You  understand  that  you  must  have  water  first  and 
then  fire.  Be  sure  that  you  have  the  water  supply  first. 

THE  BLOWER 

The  blower  is  an  appliance  for  creating  artificial 
draught  and  consists  of  a small  pipe  leading  from  some 
point  above  the  water  line  into  the  smoke  stack,  directly 
over  the  tubes,  and  it  should  terminate  with  a small  noz- 
zle pointing  directly  to  the  top  and  center  of  the  stack; 
this  pipe  is  fitted  with  a globe  valve.  When  it  is  re- 
quired to  rush  your  fire,  you  can  do  so  by  opening  this 
valve  and  allowing  the  steam  to  escape  into  the  stack. 
The  force  of  the  steam  tends  to  drive  the  air  out  of  the 
stack  and  smoke  box,  thus  creating  a strong  draught. 
But  you  say,  “What  if  I have  no  steam?”  Well,  then 
don’t  blow,  and  be  patient  till  you  have  enough  to  create 
a draught.  It  has  been  my  experience  that  there  is  noth- 
ing gained  by  putting  on  the  blower  before  having  fif- 
teen pounds  of  steam,  as  less  pressure  than  this  will  cre- 
ate but  little  draught  and  the  steam  will  escape  about  as 
fast  as  it  can  be  generated.  Be  patient  and  don’t  be  ever- 
lastingly punching  at  the  fire  box;  shut  the  door  and  go 
about  your  business  and  let  the  fire  burn. 

Must  the  blower  be  used  while  working  the  engine? 
No.  The  exhaust  steam  which  escapes  into  the  stack, 


42 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


does  exactly  what  we  stated  the  blower  does,  and  \1  i*- 
is  necessary  to  use  the  blower  in  order  to  keep  up  steam, 
you  can  conclude  that  your  engine  is  in  bad  shape,  and 
yet  there  are  times  when  the  blower  is  necessary,  even 
when  your  engine  is  in  the  best  of  condition.  For  in- 
stance, when  you  have  poor  fuel  and  are  working  your 
engine  very  light,  the  exhaust  steam  may  not  be  suf- 
ficient to  create  enough  draught  for  poor  coal,  or  wet 
or  green  wood.  But  if  you  are  working  your  engine 
hard  the  blower  should  never  be  used.  If  you  have  bad 
fuel  and  it  is  necessary  to  stop  your  engine  you  will  find 
it  very  convenient  to  put  on  the  blower  slightly,  in  order 
to  hold  your  steam  and  keep  the  fire  lively  until  you 
start  again. 

It  will  be  a good  plan  for  you  to  take  a look  at  the 
nozzle  on  the  blower  now  and  then,  to  see  that  it  does  not 
become  limed  up  and  to  see  that  it  is  not  turned  to  the 
side  so  that  it  directs  the  steam  to  the  side  of  the  stack. 
Should  it  do  this,  you  will  be  using  the  steam  and  get- 
ting but  little,  if  any,  benefit.  It  will  also  be  well  for 
you  to  remember  that  you  can  create  too  much  draught 
as  well  as  too  little;  too  much  draught  will  consume. your 
fuel  and  produce  but  little  steam. 

A GOOD  FIREMAN 

What  constitutes  a good  fireman?  You  no  doubt  have 
heard  the  expression : “Where  there  is  so  much  smoke, 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


43 


there  must  be  some  fire.”  Well,  that  is  true,  but  a good 
fireman  don’t  make  much  smoke.  We  are  speaking  of 
firing  with  coal,  now.  If  I can  see  the  smoke  ten  miles 
from  a threshing  engine,  I can  tell  what  kind  of  a fireman 
is  running  the  engine  and  if  there  is  a continuous  cloud 
of  black  smoke  being  thrown  out  of  the  smokestack,  I 
make  up  my  mind  that  the  engineer  is  having  all  he  can 
do  to  keep  the  steam  up,  and  also  conclude  that  there  will 
not  be  much  coal  left  by  the  time  he  gets  through  with 
the  job;  while  on  the  other  hand,  should  I see  at  regu- 
lar intervals  a cloud  of  smoke  going  up,  and  lasting  for 
a few  moments,  and  for  the  next  few  moments  see  noth- 
ing, then  I conclude  that  the  engineer  of  that  engine 
knows  his  business,  and  that  he  is  not  working  hard ; he 
has  plenty  of  steam  all  the  time,  and  has  coal  left  when 
he  is  through.  So  let  us  go  and  see  what  makes  this 
difference  and  learn  a valuable  lesson.  We  will  first  go 
to  the  engine  that  is  making  such  a smoke,  and  we  will 
find  that  the  engineer  has  a big  coal  shovel  just  small 
enough  to  allow  it  to  enter  the  fire  door.  You  will  see 
the  engineer  throw  in  about  two,  or  perhaps  three  shov- 
elfuls of  coal,  and  as  a matter  of  course,  we  will  see  a 
volume  of  black  smoke  issuing  from  the  stack.  The  en- 
gineer stands  leaning  on  his  shovel  watching  the  steam 
gauge,  and  he  finds  that  the  steam  doesn’t  run  up  very 
last.  About  the  time  the  coal  gets  hot  enough  to  con- 

4 


44 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


sume  the  smoke,  we  will  see  him  drop  his  shovel,  pick 
up  a poker,  throw  open  the  fire  door  and  commence  a 
vigorous  punching  and  digging  at  the  fire.  This  starts 
the  black  smoke  again,  and  about  this  time  we  will  see 
him  down  on  his  knees  with  his  poker,  punching  at  the 
underside  of  the  grate  bars.  When  he  is  through  with 
this  operation  the  smoke  is  coming  out  less  dense,  and  he 
thinks  it  time  to  throw  in  more  coal,  so  he  does.  This 
is  his  regular  routine  and  he  has  hard  work  keeping  up 
steam.  You  may  say  the  picture  is  overdrawn,  but  it  is 
not.  You  can  see  it  any  day  in  the  threshing  field.  The 
engineer  that  fires  in  this  way,  works  hard,  burns  a 
great  amount  of  coal,  and  wonders  why  he  does  not  get 
better  results. 

Before  leaving  him  let  us  take  a look  at  his  firebox, 
and  we  will  see  that  it  is  full  of  coal,  at  least  up  to  the 
level  of  the  door.  We  will  also  see  quite  a pile  of  ashes 
under  the  ash  pan.  You  can  better  understand  the  dis- 
advantage of  this  way  of  firing  after  we  visit  the  next 
man.  I think  a good  way  to  know  how  to  do  a thing  is 
to  know  also  how  not  to  do  it. 

We  will  now  go  across  to  the  man  who  is  making 
but  little  smoke,  and  making  that  at  regular  intervals. 
We  will  be  likely  to  find  that  he  has  only  a little  hand 
shovel.  He  picks  this  up,  takes  a small  amount  of  coal, 
opens  the  fire  door  and  spreads  the  coal  evenly  over  the 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


45 


grates.  He  does  this  quickly  and  shuts  the  door;  for  a 
minute  black  smoke  is  thrown  out,  but  only  for  a min- 
ute. Why  ? Because  he  only  threw  in  enough  to  replen- 
ish the  fire,  and  not  to  choke  it  in  the  least,  and  in  a 
minute  the  heat  is  great  enough  to  consume  all  the  smoke 
before  it  reaches  the  stack,  and  as  smoke  is  unconsumed 
fuel,  he  gains  that  much  if  he  can  consume  it.  We  will 
see  this  engineer  standing  around  for  the  next  few  min- 
utes perfectly  at  ease.  He  is  not  in  the  least  afraid  of 
his  steam  going  down.  At  the  end  of  three  to  five  min- 
utes, owing  to  the  amount  of  work  he  is  doing,  you  will 
see  him  pick  up  his  little  shovel  and  throw  in  a little 
more  coal;  he  does  exactly  as  he  did  before,  and  if  we 
stay  there  for  an  hour  we  will  not  see  him  pick  up  a 
poker.  We  will  look  in  at  his  firebox,  and  we  will  see 
what  is  called  a “thin  fire,”  but  every  part  of  the  firebox 
is  hot.  We  will  see  but  a small  pile  of  ashes  under  the 
engine  and  he  is  not  working  hard. 

If  you  happen  to  be  thinking  of  buying  an  engine,  you 
will  say  that  this  last  fellow  “has  a dandy  engine,” 
“that  is  the  kind  of  an  engine  I want,”  when  the  facts 
in  the  case  may  be  that  the  first  man  had  the  better  en- 
gine, but  didn’t  know  how  to  fire  it.  Now,  don’t  you  see 
how  important  it  is  that  you  know  how  to  fire  an  engine? 
I am  aware  that  some  big  coal  wasters  will  say,  “It  is 
easy  to  talk  about  firing  with  a little  hand  shovel,  but 


46 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


just  get  out  in  the  field  as  we  do  and  get  some  of  the  kind 
of  fuel  we  have  to  burn,  and  see  how  you  get  along.” 
Well,  I am  aware  that  you  will  have  some  bad  coal.  It 
is  much  better  to  handle  bad  coal  in  a good  way  than 
to  handle  good  coal  in  a bad  way.  Learn  to  handle  your 
fuel  in  the  proper  way  and  you  will  be  a good  fireman. 
Don’t  get  careless  and  then  blame  the  coal  for  what  is 
your  own  fault.  Be  careful  about  this,  you  might  give 
yourself  away.  I have  seen  engineers  make  a big  kick 
about  the  fuel  and  claim  that  it  was  no  good,  when  some 
other  fellow  would  take  hold  of  the  engine  and  have  no 
trouble  whatever. 

Don’t  allow  any  one  to  be  a better  fireman  than  your- 
self. You  will  see  a good  fireman  do  exactly  as  I have 
stated.  He  fires  often,  always  keeps  a level  fire,  never 
allows  the  coal  to  get  up  to  the  lower  tubes,  always  puts 
in  coal  before  the  steam  begins  to  drop,  keeps  the  fire 
door  open  as  little  as  possible,  preventing  any  cold  air 
from  striking  the  tubes,  which  will  not  only  check  the 
steam,  but  is  injurious  to  the  boiler. 

It  is  no  small  matter  to  know  just  how  to  handle  your 
dampers;  don’t  allow  too  much  of  an  opening  here.  You 
will  keep  a much  more  even  fire  by  keeping  the  damper 
down,  just  allowing  draught  enough  to  allow  free  com- 
bustion; more  than  this  is  a waste  of  heat. 

Get  all  out  of  the  coal  you  can,  and  save  all  you  get. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


47 


Learn  the  little  points  that  half  the  engineers  never 
think  of. 

WOOD 

You  will  find  wood  quite  different  in  some  respects, 
but  the  good  points  you  have  learned  will  be  useful  now. 
Fire  quick  and  often,  but  unlike  coal,  you  must  keep  your 
fire  box  full.  Place  your  wood  as  loosely  as  possible.  I 
mean  by  this,  place  in  all  directions  to  allow  the  draught 
to  pass  freely  through  it.  Keep  adding  a couple  of  sticks 
as  fast  as  there  is  room  and  then  don’t  disturb  them. 
Use  short  wood  and  fire  close  to  the  door.  When  firing 
with  wood  I would  advise  you  to  keep  your  screen  down. 
There  is  much  more  danger  of  setting  fire  with  wood 
than  with  coal. 

If  you  are  in  a dangerous  place,  owing  to  the  wind 
and  the  surroundings,  don’t  hesitate  to  state  your  fears 
to  the  man  for  whom  you  are  threshing.  He  is  not  sup- 
posed to  know  the  danger  as  well  as  you,  and  if,  after 
your  advice,  he  says  go  ahead,  you  have  placed  the  re- 
sponsibility on  him ; but  even  after  you  have  done  this,  it 
sometimes  shows  a good  head  to  refuse  to  fire  with  wood, 
especially  when  you  are  required  to  fire  with  old  rails, 
which  is  a common  fuel  in  a timbered  country.  While 
they  make  a hot  fire  in  a firebox,  they  sometimes  start 
a hot  one  outside  of  it.  It  is  part  of  your  business  to  be 
as  careful  as  you  can.  What  I mean  is  take  reasonable 


43 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


precaution  in  looking  after  the  screen  in  the  stack.  If  it 
burns  out  get  a new  one.  With  reasonable  diligence  and 
care,  you  will  never  set  anything  on  fire,  while  on  the 
other  hand,  a careless  engineer  may  do  quite  a lot  of 
damage. 

There  is  fire  about  an  engine,  and  you  are  provided 
with  the  proper  appliances  to  control  it.  See  that  you 
do  it. 

WHY  GRATES  BURN  OUT 

Grates  burn  through  carelessness.  You  may  as  well 
make  up  your  mind  to  this  at  the  start.  You  never  saw 
grate  bars  burn  out  with  a clean  ash  box.  They  can  only 
be  burned  by  allowing  the  ashes  to  accumulate  under 
them  till  they  exclude  the  air  when  the  bars  at  once  be- 
come red  hot.  The  first  thing  they  do  is  to  warp,  and 
if  the  ashes  are  not  removed  at  once,  the  grate  bar  will 
burn  off.  Carelessness  is  neglecting  something  which  is 
a part  of  your  business,  and  as  part  of  it  is  to  keep  your 
ash  box  clean,  it  certainly  is  carelessness  if  you  neglect 
it.  Your  coal  may  melt  and  run  down  on  the  bars,  but  if 
the  cold  air  can  get  to  the  grates,  the  only  damage  this 
will  do  is  to  form  a clinker  on  the  top  of  grates,  and  shut 
off  your  draught.  When  you  find  that  you  have  this  kind 
of  coal  you  will  want  to  look  after  these  clinkers. 

Now  if  you  should  have  good  success  in  keeping  steam, 
keep  improving  on  what  you  know,  and  if  you  run  on 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


49 


1000  pounds  of  coal  today,  try  and  do  it  with  900  tomor- 
row. That  is  the  kind  of  stuff  a good  fireman  is  made  of. 

But  don’t  conclude  that  you  can  do  the  same  amount 
of  work  each  day  in  the  week  on  the  same  amount  of 
fuel,  even  should  it  be  of  the  same  kind.  You  will  find 
that  with  all  your  care  and  skill,  your  engine  will  differ 
very  materially  both  as  to  the  amount  of  fuel  and  water 
that  it  will  require,  though  the  conditions  may  appar- 
ently be  the  same. 

This  may  be  as  good  a time  as  any  to  say  to  you,  re- 
member that  a blast  of  cold  air  against  the  tubes  is  a bad 
thing,  so  be  careful  about  your  firedoor;  open  it  as  little 
as  possible;  when  you  want  to  throw  in  fuel,  don’t  open 
the  door,  and  then  go  a rod  away  after  a shovel  of  coal. 
I will  say  here  that  I have  seen  this  thing  done  by  men 
who  flattered  themselves  that  they  were  about  at  the  top 
in  the  matter  of  running  an  engine.  That  kind  of  treat- 
ment will  ruin  the  best  boiler  in  existence.  I don’t  mean 
that  once  or  twice  will  do  it,  but  to  keep  it  up  will  do  it. 
Get  your  shovel  of  coal  and  when  you  are  ready  to  throw 
it  in,  open  the  door  quickly  and  close  it  at  once.  Make 
it  one  of  your  habits  to  do  this,  and  you  will  never  think 
of  doing  it  in  any  other  way.  If  it  becomes  necessary 
to  stop  your  engine  with  a hot  fire  and  a high  pressure 
of  steam,  don’t  throw  your  door  open,  but  drop  your 
damper  and  open  the  smoke  box  door. 


50 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


If,  however,  you  only  expect  to  stop  a minute  or  two, 
drop  your  damper,  and  start  your  injector  if  you  have 
one.  If  you  have  none,  get  one. 

An  independent  boiler  feeder  is  a very  nice  thing,  if 
constructed  on  the  proper  principles.  You  can’t  have 
your  boiler  too  well  equipped  in  this  particular. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


51 


PART  THREE. 

A boiler  should  be  kept  clean,  outside  and  inside. 
Outside  for  your  own  credit,  and  inside  for  the  credit 
of  the  manufacturers.  A dirty  boiler  requires  hard 
firing,  takes  lot  of  fuel,  and  is  unsatisfactory  in  every 
way. 

The  best  way  to  keep  it  clean  is  not  to  let  it  get 
dirty.  The  place  to  begin  work,  is  with  your  “water 
boy;”  pursuade  him  to  be  very  careful  of  the  water  he 
brings  you;  if  you  can’t  succeed  in  this,  ask  him  to  re- 
sign. 

I have  seen  a water-hauler  back  into  a stream,  and 
then  dip  the  water  from  the  lower  side  of  the  tank,  the 
muddy  water  always  goes  down  stream  and  the  wheels 
stir  up  the  mud;  and  your  bright  water  hauler  dips  it 
into  the  tank,  while  if  he  had  dipped  it  from  the  up- 
per side  he  would  have  gotten  clear  water.  However, 
the  days  of  dipping  water  are  past,  but  a water  boy 
that  will  do  as  I have  stated  is  just  as  liable  to  throw  his 
hose  into  the  muddy  water  or  lower  side  of  the  tank  as 
on  the  upper  side,  where  it  is  clear.  See  that  he  keeps 
his  tank  clean.  We  have  seen  tanks  with  one-half  an 
inch  of  mud  in  the  bottom.  We  know  that  there  are 


52 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


times  when  you  are  compelled  to  use  muddy  water,  but 
as  soon  as  it  is  possible  to  get  clear  water  make  him 
wash  out  his  tank,  and  don’t  let  him  haul  it  around  till 
the  boiler  gets  it  all. 

Allow  me  just  here  to  tell  you  how  to  construct  a 
good  tank  for  a traction  engine.  You  can  make  the 
dimensions  to  suit  yourself,  but  across  the  front  end 
and  about  two  feet  back  fit  a partition  or  second  head; 
in  the  center  of  this  head  and  about  an  inch  from  the 
bottom,  bore  a two-inch  hole.  Place  a screen  over  this 
hole  on  the  side  next  the  rear,  and  on  the  other  or  front 
side,  put  a valve.  You  can  construct  the  valve  in  this 
way:  Take  a piece  of  thick  leather,  about  four  inches 

long,  and  two  and  a half  inches  wide;  fit  a block  of 
wood  (a  large  bung  answers  the  purpose  nicely)  on 
one  end,  trimming  the  leather  around  one  side  of  the 
wood,  then  nail  the  long  part  of  the  valve  just  above 
the  hole,  so  that  the  valve  will  fit  nicely  over  the  hole 
in  the  partition.  When  properly  constructed,  this  valve 
will  allow  the  water  to  flow  into  the  front  end  of  the 
tank,  but  will  prevent  its  running  back.  So,  when  you 
are  on  the  road  with  part  of  a tank  of  water,  and  start 
down  hill,  this  front  part  fills  full  of  water,  and  when 
you  start  up  hill,  it  can  not  get  back,  and  your  pumps 
will  work  as  well  as  if  you  had  a full  tank  of  water. 
Without  this  arrangement  you  cannot  get  your  pumps  to 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


53 


work  well  in  going  up  a steep  hill  with  anything  less 
than  a full  tank.  Now,  this  may  be  considered  a little 
out  of  the  engineer’s  duty,  but  it  will  save  lots  of  annoy- 
ance if  he  has  his  tank  supplied  with  this  little  appliance, 
which  is  simple  but  does  the  business. 

A boiler  should  be  washed  out  and  not  blown  out.  I 
believe  I am  safe  in  saying  that  more  than  half  the  en- 
gineers of  threshing  engines  today  depend  on  the  “blow- 
ing out”  process  to  clean  their  boilers.  I don’t  intend 
to  tell  you  to  do  anything  without  giving  my  reasons. 
We  will  take  a hot  boiler,  for  instance;  say,  under 
50  pounds  of  steam.  We  will,  of  course,  take  out  the 
fire.  It  is  not  supposed  that  anyone  will  attempt  to 
blow  out  the  water  with  any  fire  in  the  firebox.  We 
will,  after  removing  the  fire,  open  the  blow-off  valve, 
which  will  be  found  at  the  bottom  or  lowest  water 
point.  The  water  is  forced  out  very  rapidly  with  the 
pressure,  and  the  last  thing  that  comes  out  is  the 
steam.  This  steam  keeps  the  entire  boiler  hot  till  every- 
thing is  blown  out,  and  the  result  is  that  all  the 
dirt,  sediment  and  lime  is  baked  solid  on  the  tubes 
and  sides  of  the  firebox.  But  you  say  you  know  enough 
not  to  blow  off  at  50  pounds  pressure.  Well,  we  will 
say  5 pounds,  then.  You  will  admit  that  the  boiler  is 
not  cold  by  any  means,  even  at  only  5 pounds,  and  if 
you  know  enough  not  to  blow  off  at  50  pounds,  you 


54 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


certainly  know  that  at  5 pounds  pressure  the  damage 
is  not  entirely  avoided.  As  long  as  the  iron  is  hot, 
the  dirt  will  dry  out  quickly,  and  by  the  time  the  boiler 
is  cold  enough  to  force  cold  water  through  it  safely, 
the  mud  is  dry  and  adheres  closely  to  the  iron.  Some 
of  the  foreign  matter  will  be  blown  out,  but  you  will 
find  it  a difficult  matter  to  wash  out  what  sticks  to  the 
hot  iron. 

I am  aware  that  some  engineers  claim  that  the  boiler 
should  be  blown  out  at  about  5 pounds  or  10  pounds 
pressure,  but  I believe  in  taking  the  common  sense 
view.  They  will  advise  you  to  blow  out  at  a low  pres- 
sure, and  then,  as  soon  as  the  boiler  is  cool  enough,  to 
wash  it  thoroughly. 

Now,  if  you  must  wait  till  the  boiler  is  cool  before 
washing,  why  not  let  it  cool  with  the  water  in  it  ? 
Then,  when  you  let  the  water  out,  your  work  is  easy, 
and  the  moment  you  begin  to  force  water  through  it, 
you  will  see  the  dirty  water  flowing  out  at  the  manhole 
or  hand  hole.  The  dirt  is  soft  and  washes  very  easily: 
but,  if  it  had  dried  on  the  inside  of  the  boiler  while  you 
were  waiting  for  it  to  cool,  you  would  find  it  very  diffi- 
cult to  wash  off. 

You  will  observe,  I said  to  force  the  water  through  the 
boiler,  and  to  do  this  you  must  use  a force  pump.  No  en- 
gineer ought  to  attempt  to  run  an  engine  without  a 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


55 


force  pump.  It  is  one  of  the  necessities.  You  may 
ask,  can’t  I wash  out  a boiler  without  a force  pump? 
Oh,  yes!  You  can  do  it  just  like  some  people  do  business. 
But  I started  out  to  tell  you  how  to  keep  your  boiler 
clean,  and  the  way  to  do  it  is  to  wash  it  out,  and  the 
way  to  wash  it  out  is  with  a good  force  pump.  There 
are  a number  of  good  pumps  made,  especially  for 
threshing  engines.  They  are  fitted  to  the  tank  for  lift- 
ing water  for  filling,  and  are  fitted  with  a discharge  hose 
and  nozzle. 

You  will  find  at  the  bottom  of  the  boiler  one  or  two 
hand  hole  plates — if  your  boiler  has  a water  bottom — 
if  not,  they  will  be  found  at  the  botom  of  the  sides  of 
the  firebox.  Take  out  these  hand  hole  plates.  You  will 
also  find  another  plate  near  the  top,  on  the  firebox  end 
of  the  boiler;  take  this  out,  then  open  up  the  smoke  box 
door  and  you  will  find  another  hand  hole  plate  or  plug 
near  the  lower  row  of  tubes;  take  this  out,  and  you  are 
ready  for  your  water  works,  and  you  want  to  use  them 
vigorously.  Don’t  throw  in  a few  bucketfuls  of  water, 
but  direct  the  nozzle  to  every  part  of  the  boiler,  and 
don’t  stop  as  long  as  there  is  any  muddy  water  flowing 
at  the  bottom  hand  holes.  This  is  the  way  to  clean 
your  boiler,  and  don’t  think  that  you  can  be  a success 
as  an  engineer  without  this  process.  A thorough  wash- 
ing out  once  a week  is  none  too  often.  If  you  want 


56  ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 

satisfactory  results  from  your  engine,  you  must  keep  a 
clean  boiler,  and  to  keep  it  clean  requires  care  and 
labor.  If  you  neglect  it  you  may  expect  trouble.  If 
you  blow  out  your  boiler  hot,  or  if  the  mud  and  slush 
bakes  on  the  tubes,  a scale  is  formed,  which  decreases 
the  boiler’s  evaporating  capacity.  You  must,  therefore, 
in  order  to  make  a sufficient  amount  of  steam,  increase 
the  amount  of  fuel  used,  which  is  of  itself  a source  of 
expense,  to  say  nothing  of  the  extra  labor  and  the 
danger  of  causing  the  tubes  to  leak  from  the  increased 
heat  produced  in  the  firebox  in  order  to  make  steam 
sufficient  to  do  the  work. 

You  must  not  expect  economy  of  fuel,  and  at  the  same 
time  keep  a dirty  boiler.  Don’t  condemn  a boiler  be- 
cause of  hard  firing  until  you  know  it  is  clean,  and  don’t 
say  it  is  clean  when  it  can  be  shown  to  be  half  full  of 
mud. 

SCALE 

Advertisements  say  that  certain  compounds  will  pre- 
vent scale  in  boilers,  and  I think  they  tell  the  truth,  as 
far  as  they  go;  but  they  don’t  say  what  the  result  may 
be  on  iron.  I will  not  advise  the  use  of  any  of  these 
preparations,  for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  cer- 
tain chemicals  will  successfully  remove  the  scale  formed 
bv  water  charged  with  bicarbonate  of  lime,  and  have  no 
effect  on  water  charged  with  sulphate  of  lime.  Some 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


57 


kinds  of  bark — summac,  logwood,  etc., — are  sufficient 
to  remove  the  scale  from  water  charged  with  magnesia 
or  carbonate  of  lime,  but  they  are  injurious  to  the  iron 
owing  to  the  tannic  acid  with  which  they  are  charged. 
Vinegar,  rotten  apples,  slop,  etc.,  owing  to  their  con- 
taining acetic  acid,  will  remove  scale,  but  this  is  even 
more  injurious  to  the  iron  than  the  barks.  Alkalies  of 
any  kind,  such  as  soda,  will  be  found  good  in  water 
containing  sulphate  of  lime,  by  converting  it  into  a car- 
bonate and  thereby  forming  a soft  scale,  which  is  easily 
washed  out,  but  these  have  their  objections,  for,  when 
used  to  excess,  they  cause  foaming. 

Petroleum  is  not  a bad  thing  in  water  where  sul- 
phate of  lime  prevails  but  you  should  use  Only  the  re- 
fined, as  crude  oil  sometimes  helps  to  form  a very  in- 
jurious scale. 

Carbonate  of  soda  and  corn-starch  have  been  recom- 
mended as  a scale  preventative,  and  I am  inclined  to 
think  they  are  as  good  as  anything,  but  as  we  are  out  in 
the  country  most  of  the  time,  I can  tell  you  of  a simple 
little  thing  that  will  answer  the  same  purpose,  and  can 
usually  be  had  with  little  trouble.  Every  Monday  morn- 
ing just  dump  a hatful  of  potatoes  into  your  boiler,  and 
Saturday  night  wash  the  boiler  out.  as  I have  already 
suggested,  and  when  the  fall’s  run  is  over  there  will  not 
be  much  scale  in  the  boiler. 


58 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


CLEAN  FLUES. 

We  have  been  urging  you  to  keep  your  boiler  clean. 
Now,  to  get  the  best  results  from  your  fuel,  it  will  also 
be  necessary  to  keep  your  flues  clean.  As  soot  and  ashes 
are  non-conductors  of  heat,  you  will  find  it  very  difficult 
to  get  up  steam  with  a coating  of  soot  in  your  tubes. 
Most  factories  furnish  with  each  engine  a flue  cleaner 
,and  rod.  This  cleaner  should  be  made  to  fit  the  tubes 
snug,  and  should  be  forced  through  each  separate  tube 
every  morning  before  building  a fire.  Some  engineers 
never  touch  their  flues  with  a cleaner,  but  choke  the  ex- 
haust sufficiently  to  create  sufficient  draught  as  to  clean 
the  flues.  This  works  the  engine  at  a great  disadvantage, 
besides  being  much  more  liable  to  pull  the  fire  out  at 
the  top  of  the  smokestack.  If  it  were  not  necessary  to 
create  draught  by  reducing  your  exhaust  nozzle,  your 
engine  would  run  much  nicer  and  be  much  more  pow- 
erful. However,  you  must  reduce  it  sufficiently  to  give 
draught,  but  don’t  impair  the  power  by  trying  to  make 
the  engine  clean  its  own  flues.  As  a matter  of  fact  tubes 
can  not  be  cleaned  perfectly  in  this  way.  They  must 
be  scraped  clean.  I think  ninety  per  cent  of  the  fires 
started  by  traction  engines  can  be  traced  to  the  engineer 
having  his  engine  choked  at  the  exhaust  nozzle.  This  is 
dangerous  for  the  reason  that  the  excessive  draught  cre- 
ated throws  fire  out  at  the  stack.  It  cuts  the  power  of 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


59 


the  engine  by  creating  back  pressure.  We  will  illustrate 
this:  If  you  close  the  exhaust  entirely  the  engine 

will  not  run.  This  being  true,  you  can  readily  under- 
stand that  partly  closing  it  will  weaken  the  engine  to  a 
certain  extent.  So,  remember  that  the  nozzle  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  power  of  the  engine,  and  you 
can  see  why  the  fellow  that  makes  his  engine  clean  its 
own  flues  is  not  the  brightest  engineer  in  the  world. 

While  it  is  not  my  intention  to  encourage  the  foolish 
habit  of  pulling  engines,  to  see  which  is  the  best  puller, 
yet  should  you  get  into  this  kind  of  a test,  you  can  show 
the  other  fellow  a trick  by  dropping  the  exhaust  nozzle 
off  entirely,  and  no  one  need  know  it.  Your  engine 
will  not  appear  to  be  making  any  effort,  either,  in  making 
the  pull.  Many  a test  has  been  won  more  through  the 
shrewdness  of  the  operator  than  the  superiority  of  the 
engine. 

The  knowing  of  this  little  trick  may  also  help  you  out 
of  a bad  hole  some  time  when  you  want  a little  extra 
power.  And  this  brings  us  to  the  point  to  which  I want 
you  to  pay  special  attention.  The  majority  of  engineers, 
when  they  want  a little  extra  power,  give  the  safety  valve 
a twist. 

Now,  I have  already  told  you  to  carry  a good  head 
of  steam,  anywhere  from  ioo  to  120  pounds  of  steam  is 

good  pressure  and  is  plenty.  If  you  have  your  valve  set 
s 


6o 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


to  blow  off  at  1 15  pounds  leave  it  there.  Don’t  screw 
it  down  every  time  you  want  more  power,  for  if  you  do 
you  will  soon  have  it  up  to  125  pounds,  and  then  if  you 
want  more  steam  at  some  other  time  you  will  find  your- 
self screwing  it  down  again,  and  what  was  really  in- 
tended for  a safety  valve  loses  all  its  virtue  as  a safety, 
as  far  as  you  and  those  around  you  are  concerned.  If 
you  know  you  have  a good  boiler  you  are  safe  in  setting 
it  at  125  pounds,  provided  you  are  careful  to  not  set  it 
up  to  any  higher  pressure.  But  my  advice  to  you  is 
that  if  your  engine  won’t  do  the  work  required  of  it  at 
1 15  pounds,  you  had  best  do  what  you  can  with  it  until 
you  can  get  a larger  one. 

A safety  valve  is  exactly  what  its  name  implies,  and 
there  should  be  a heavy  penalty  for  anyone  taking  that 
power  away  from  it. 

If  you  refuse  to  set  your  safety  down  at  any  time,  it 
does  not  imply  that  you  are  afraid  of  your  boiler,  but 
rather  you  understand  your  business  and  realize  your  re- 
sponsibility. 

I stated  before  what  you  should  do  with  the  safety 
valve  in  starting  a new  engine.  You  should  also  exam- 
ine it  and  test  it  every  few  days.  See  that  it  does  not 
become  slow  to  work.  You  should  note  the  pressure 
every  time  it  blows  off.  You  know  where  it  ought  to 
blow  off,  so  don’t  allow  it  to  stick  or  hold  the  steam  be- 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


61 


yond  this  pressure.  If  you  are  careful  about  this,  there 
is  no  danger  about  its  sticking  some  time  when  you  don’t 
happen  to  be  watching  the  gauge.  The  steam  gauge  will 
tell  you  when  the  pop  ought  to  blow  off,  and  you  should 
see  that  it  does.  The  following  dialogue  occurred  in  the 
writer’s  hearing  : 

A big  fat  duffer  came  into  the  shop  with  a steam  gauge 
in  his  hand,  and  throwing  it  down  on  the  bench  said, 
“That  gauge  is  no  good.” 

“What’s  the  matter  with  it?”  said  the  superintendent 
“Why  I tell  you  it’s  no  good,  it  went  up  to  180  pounds 
before  the  pop  blowed  off.” 

“It  did,  did  it  ?”  said  the  superintendent. 

“Yes,  it  did.” 

“How  do  you  know  the  pop  isn’t  off?” 

And  fatty’s  face  showed  clearly  that  a new  idea  had 
hit  him  hard. 

His  gauge  was  tested  with  the  standard  gauge  in  the 
engine  room  and  found  to  correspond  with  it  to  a pound. 
The  superintendent  of  the  shop  told  him  to  go  back  and 
look  after  his  pop  valve.  He  picked  up  his  “no  good” 
gauge  and  walked  out,  and  he  actually  appeared  to  be 
thinking  about  something. 


62 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


PART  FOUR. 

STEAM  GAUGE 

Some  engineers  call  a steam  gauge  a “dock.”  I sup- 
pose they  do  this  because  they  think  it  tells  them  when 
it  is  time  to  throw  in  coal,  and  when  it  is  time  to  quit, 
and  when  it  is  time  for  the  safety  valve  to  blow  off.  If 
that  is  what  they  think  a steam  gauge  is  for,  I can  tell 
them  that  it  is  time  for  them  to  learn  differently. 

It  is  true  that  in  a certain  sense  it  does  tell  the  engineer 
when  to  do  certain  things,  but  not  as  a clock  would  tell 
the  time  of  day.  The  office  of  a steam  gauge  is  to  enable 
you  to  read  the  pressure  on  your  boiler  at  all  times,  the 
same  as  a scale  will  enable  you  to  determine  the  weight 
of  any  object. 

As  this  is  the  duty  of  the  steam  gauge,  it  is  necessary 
that  it  be  absolutely  correct.  By  the  use  of  an  unreliable 
gauge  you  may  become  thoroughly  bewildered,  and  in 
reality  know  nothing  of  what  pressure  you  are  carrying. 

This  will  occur  in  about  this  way : Your  steam  gauge 
becomes  weak,  and  if  your  safety  is  set  at  ioo  pounds,  it 
will  show  ioo  or  even  more  before  the  pop  allows  the 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


63 


steam  to  escape;  or  if  the  gauge  becomes  clogged,  the  pop 
may  blow  off  when  the  gauge  only  shows  90  pounds  or 
less.  This  latter  is  really  more  dangerous  than  the 
former.  As  you  would  most  naturally  conclude  that  your 
safety  was  getting  weak,  and  about  the  first  thing  you 
would  do  would  be  to  screw  it  down  so  that  the  gauge 
would  show  100  before  the  pop  would  blow  off,  when  in 
fact  you  would  have  no  or  more. 

So  you  can  see  at  once  how  important  it  is  that  your 
gauge  and  safety  should  work  exactly  together,  and  there 
is  but  one  way  to  make  certain  of  this,  and  that  is  to  test 
your  steam  gauge.  If  you  know  the  steam  gauge  is  cor- 
rect, you  can  make  your  safety  valve  agree  with  it;  but 
never  try  to  make  it  do  so  until  you  know  the  gauge  is 
reliable. 


HOW  TO  TEST  A STEAM  GAUGE 

Remove  it  from  the  boiler  and  take  it  to  some  shop 
where  there  is  a steam  boiler  in  active  use;  have  the  engi- 
neer attach  your  gauge  where  it  will  receive  the  direct 
steam  pressure,  and  if  it  shows  the  same  as  his  gauge,  it 
is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  your  gauge  is. correct.  If  the 
engineer  to  whom  you  take  your  gauge  should  say  he 
thinks  his  gauge  is  weak,  or  a little  strong,  then  go  some- 
where else.  I have  already  told  you  that  I did  not  want 
you  to  guess  at  anything  about  your  engine — I want  you 


64 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


to  know  it.  However,  should  you  find  that  your  gauge 
shows,  when  tested  with  another  gauge,  that  it  is  weak 
or  unreliable  in  any  way,  you  should  repair  it  at  once, 
and  the  safest  way  is  to  get  a new  one,  and  yet  I would 
advise  you  first  to  examine  it  and  see  if  you  cannot  dis- 
cover the  trouble.  It  frequently  happens  that  the  pointer 
becomes  loosened  on  the  journal  or  spindle,  which  at- 
taches it  to  the  mechanism  that  operates  it.  If  this  is 
the  trouble,  it  may  be  easily  remedied,  but  should  the 
trouble  prove  to  be  in  the  spring,  or  in  the  delicate  in- 
terior mechanism,  it  would  be  much  more  satisfactory  to 
get  a new  gauge. 

In  selecting  a new  gauge  you  will  be  better  satisfied 
with  a gauge  having  a double  spring  or  tube,  as  they  are 
less  liable  to  freeze  or  become  strained  from  a high  pres- 
sure, and  the  double  spring  will  not  allow  the  needle  or 
pointer  to  vibrate  when  subject  to  a shock  or  sudden  in- 
crease of  pressure,  as  with  the  single  spring.  A careful 
engineer  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  a defective  steam 
gauge  or  an  unreliable  safety  valve.  Some  steam  gauges 
are  provided  with  a seal,  and  as  long  as  this  seal  is  not 
broken  the  factory  will  make  it  good. 

FUSIBLE  PLUG 

We  have  told  you  about  a safety  valve,  and  now  we 
will  have  something  to  say  about  safety  plugs.  A safety, 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


65 


or  fusible  plug,  is  a hollow  brass  plug  or  bolt,  screwed 
into  the  crown  sheet  or  top  of  the  fire  box.  The  hole 
through  the  plug  is  filled  with  some  soft  metal  that  will 
fuse  at  a much  less  temperature  than  is  required  to  burn 
iron.  The  heat  from  the  firebox  will  have  no  effect  on 
this  fusible  plug  as  long  as  the  crown  sheet  is  covered 
with  water,  but  the  moment  the  water  level  falls  below 
the  top  of  the  crown  sheet,  thereby  exposing  the  plug,  this 
soft  metal  is  melted  and  runs  out.  This  allows  the  steam 
to  rush  down  through  the  opening  in  the  plug,  puts  out 
the  fire  and  prevents  any  injury  to  the  boiler.  All  this 
sounds  very  fine,  but  I am  free  to  confess  that  I am  not  an 
advocate  of  a fusible  plug.  After  telling  you  to  never  al- 
low the  water  to  get  low,  and  then  to  say  there  is  some- 
thing to  make  even  this  allowable,  sounds  very  much  like 
the  preacher  who  told  his  boy  “never  go  fishing  on  Sun- 
day, but  if  you  do  go,  to  be  sure  and  bring  home  the  fish.” 
I would  have  no  objection  to  the  safety  plug  if  the  engi- 
neer did  not  know  it  was  there.  I am  aware  that  some 
states  require  that  all  engines  be  fitted  with  a fusible  plug. 
I do  not  question  their  good  intentions,  but  I do  ques- 
tion their  judgment.  It  seems  to  me  they  are  granting 
a license  to  carelessness.  For  instance,  an  engineer  is  run- 
ning with  a low  gauge  of  water,  owing  possibly  to  the 
tanks  being  delayed  longer  than  usual.  He  knows  the 
water  is  getting  low,  but  he  says  to  himself,  “well,  if  the 
water  gets  too  low  I will  only  blow  out  the  plug,”  and  so 


66 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


he  continues  to  run  until  the  tank  arrives.  If  the  plug 
holds,  he  at  once  begins  to  pump  in  cold  water,  and  most 
likely  does  it  on  a very  hot  sheet,  which  of  itself,  is  some- 
thing he  never  should  do.  If  the  plug  does  blow  out  he 
is  delayed  a couple  of  hours  at  least,  before  he  can  put 
in  a new  plug  and  get  up  steam  again.  Now  suppose 
he  had  not  had  a soft  plug  (as  they  are  sometimes  called), 
he  would  not  even  have  had  a hot  crown  sheet,  and 
would  only  have  lost  the  time  he  waited  on  the  tank. 
This  is  not  a fancied  circumstance  by  any  means,  for  it 
happens  every  day.  The  engineer  running  an  engine 
with  a safety  plug  seldom  stops  for  a load  of  water  until 
he  blows  out  the  plug.  It  frequently  happens  that  a fusi- 
ble plug  becomes  corroded  to  such  an  extent  that  it  will 
stand  a heat  sufficient  to  burn  the  iron.  This  is  my  great- 
est objection  to  it.  The  engineer  continues  to  rely  on  it 
for  safety,  the  same  as  if  it  were  in  perfect  order,  and  the 
ultimate  result  is  he  burns  or  cracks  his  crown  sheet.  I 
have  already  stated  that  I have  no  objection  to  the  plug, 
if  the  engineer  did  not  know  it  was  there,  so  if  you  must 
use  one,  attend  to  it,  and  every  time  you  clean  your  boiler 
scrape  the  upper  or  water  end  of  the  plug  with  a knife, 
and  be  careful  to  remove  any  corrosive  matter  that  may 
have  collected  on  it,  and  then  treat  your  boiler  exactly 
as  though  there  was  no  such  a thing  as  a safety  plug  in 
it.  A safety  plug  was  not  designed  to  let  you  run  with 
any  lower  gauge  of  water.  It  is  placed  there  to  prevent 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


67 


injury  to  the  boiler,  in  case  of  an  accident  or  when,  by 
some  means,  you  might  be  deceived  in  your  gauge  of 
water,  if  by  mistake,  a fire  was  started  without  much 
water  in  the  boiler. 

Should  the  plug  melt  out,  it  is  necessary  to  replace  it 
at  once,  or  as  soon  as  the  heat  will  permit  you  to  do  so. 
It  might  be  a saving  of  time  to  have  an  extra  plug  always 
ready,  then  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  remove  the  melted 
one  by  unscrewing  it  from  the  crown  sheet  and  screwing 
the  extra  one  in.  But  if  you  have  no  extra  plug  you  must 
remove  the  first  one  and  refill  it  with  babbitt.  You  can 
do  this  by  filling  one  end  of  the  plug  with  wet  clay  and 
pouring  the  metal  into  the  other  end,  and  then  pound- 
ing it  down  smooth  to  prevent  any  leaking.  This  done, 
you  can  screw  the  plug  back  into  its  place. 

If  you  should  have  two  plugs,  as  soon  as  you  have 
melted  out  one  replace  it  with  the  new  one,  and  refill  the 
other  at  your  earliest  convenience.  By  the  time  you  have 
replaced  a fusible  plug  a few  times  in  a hot  boiler  you 
will  conclude  it  is  better  to  keep  water  over  your  crown 
sheet. 

LEAKY  FLUES 

What  makes  flues  leak?  I asked  this  question  once, 
and  the  answer  was  that  the  flues  were  not  large  enough 
to  fill  up  the  hole  in  the  flue  sheet.  This  struck  me 


68 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


as  being  funny  at  first,  but  on  second  thought  I concluded 
it  was  about  correct.  Flues  may  leak  from  several  causes, 
but  usually  it  can  be  traced  to  the  carelessness  of  some 
one.  You  may  have  noticed  by  this  time  that  I am  in- 
clined to  blame  a great  many  things  to  carelessness. 
Well,  by  the  time  you  have  run  an  engine  a year  or  two 
you  will  conclude  that  I am  not  unjust  in  my  suspicions. 
I do  not  blame  engineers  for  everything,  but  I do  say  that 
they  are  responsible  for  a great  many  things  which  they 
endeavor  to  shift  onto  the  manufacturer.  If  the  flues  in 
a new  boiler  leak,  it  is  evident  that  they  were  slighted  by 
the  boiler-maker ; but  should  they  run  a season  or  part  of 
a season  before  leaking,  then  it  would  indicate  that  the 
boiler-maker  did  his  duty,  but  the  engineer  did  not  do 
his.  He  has  been  building  too  hot  a fire  to  begin  with, 
or  has  been  letting  his  fire  door  stand  open;  or  he  may 
have  overtaxed  his  boiler ; or  else  he  has  been  blowing  out 
his  boiler  when  too  hot;  or  has  at  some  time  blown  out 
with  some  fire  in  the  firebox.  Now,  any  one  of  these 
things,  repeated  a few  times,  will  make  the  best  tubes 
leak.  You  have  been  advised  already  not  to  do  these 
things,  and  if  you  do  them,  or  any  of  them,  I want  to 
know  what  better  word  there  is  to  express  it  than  “care- 
lessness.” 

There  are  other  things  that  will  make  your  flues  leak. 
Pumping  cold  water  into  a boiler  with  a low  gauge  of 
water  will  do  it,  if  it  does  nothing  more  serious.  Pour- 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


69 


ing  cold  water  into  a hot  boiler  will  do  it.  For  instance, 
blowing  out  a boiler  while  in  the  field,  and  then  refilling 
before  the  iron  has  time  to  get  cool.  I have  seen  an  en- 
gineer pour  water  into  a boiler  as  soon  as  the  escaping 
steam  would  admit.  The  flues  cannot  stand  such  treat- 
ment, as  they  are  thinner  than  the  shell  or  flue  sheet, 
and  therefore  cool  much  quicker,  and  in  contracting  are 
drawn  from  the  flue  sheet,  and  as  a matter  of  course  be- 
gin to  leak.  A flue,  when  once  started  to  leak,  seldom 
stops  without  being  set  up,  and  one  leaky  flue  will  start 
others,  and  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ? Are  you 
going  to  send  to  a boiler  shop  and  get  a boilermaker  to 
come  out  and  fix  them  and  pay  him  from  forty  to  sixty 
cents  an  hour  for  doing  it?  I don’t  know  but  that  you 
must  the  first  time,  but  if  you  are  going  to  make  a busi- 
ness of  making  your  flues  leak,  you  had  best  learn  how  to 
repair  them  yourself.  You  can  do  it  if  you  are  not  too 
big  to  get  into  the  fire  door.  You  should  provide  your- 
self with  a flue  expander,  a calking  tool,  and  a machinist’s 
hammer  (not  too  heavy).  Take  into  the  firebox  with  you 
a piece  of  clean  waste  with  which  you  will  wipe  off  the 
ends  of  the  flues  and  flue  sheet  to  remove  any  soot  or 
ashes  that  may  have  collected  around  them.  After  this  is 
done  you  will  force  the  expander  into  the  flues,  driving 
it  well  up,  in  order  to  bring  the  shoulder  of  the  expander 
up  snug  against  the  head  of  the  flue.  Then  drive  the 
tapering  pin  into  the  expander.  By  driving  the  pin  in 


7 o 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


too  far  you  may  spread  the  flue  sufficient  to  crack  it, 
or  you  are  more  liable,  by  expanding  too  hard,  to  spread 
the  hole  in  the  flue  sheet  and  thereby  loosen  other  flues. 
You  must  be  careful  about  this.  When  you  think  you 
have  expanded  sufficiently,  hit  the  pin  a side  blow  in 
order  to  loosen  it,  and  turn  the  expander  about  one- 
quarter  of  a turn,  and  drive  it  up  as  before.  Repeat  this 
operation  until  you  have  made  the  entire  circle  of  flues. 
Then  remove  the  expander,  and  you  are  ready  for  your 
header  or  calking  tool.  It  is  best  to  expand  all  the  flues 
that  are  leaking  before  beginning  with  the  header. 

The  header  is  used  by  placing  the  gauge  or  guide  end 
within  the  flue,  and  with  your  light  hammer  the  flue 
can  be  calked  or  beaded  down  against  the  flue  sheet.  Re 
careful  to  use  your  hammer  lightly,  so  as  not  to  bruise 
the  flues  or  sheet.  When  you  have  gone  over  all  the  ex- 
panded flues  in  this  way,  you  will,  if  you  have  been  care- 
ful, have  a good  job.  A little  practice,  and  you  will  be- 
come quite  an  expert.  I never  saw  a man  go  into  a fire- 
box and  stop  the  leak  but  that  he  came  out  well  pleased 
with  himself.  The  fact  that  a firebox  is  no  pleasant  work- 
shop may  have  had  something  to  do  with  it.  If  your 
flues  have  been  leaking  badly,  and  you  have  expanded 
them,  it  would  be  well  to  test  your  boiler  with  cold  water 
pressure  to  make  sure  that  you  have  a good  job. 

How  are  you  going  to  test  your  boiler?  If  you  can 
attach  to  a hydrant,  do  so,  and  when  you  have  given  your 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


7 1 


boiler  all  the  pressure  you  want,  you  can  then  examine 
your  flues  carefully,  and  should  you  find  any  seeping  of 
water,  you  can  use  your  header  lightly  until  such  leaks 
are  stopped.  If  the  waterworks  will  not  afford  you  suffi- 
cient pressure,  you  can  bring  it  up  to  the  required  pres- 
sure by  attaching  a good  hand  force  pump. 

In  testing  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  if  you  have 
a good  job  on  your  flues,  it  is  not  necessary  to  put  on  any 
greater  cold  water  pressure  than  you  are  in  the  habit  of 
carrying.  For  instance,  if  your  safety  valve  is  set  at 
one  hundred  and  ten  pounds,  this  pressure  of  cold  water 
will  be  sufficient  to  test  the  flues. 

Now,  suppose  you  are  out  in  the  field  and  want  to  test 
your  flues.  Of  course,  you  have  no  hydrant  to  attach  to, 
and  you  happen  not  to  have  a force  pump,  it  would  seem 
you  were  in  bad  shape  to  test  your  boiler  with  cold  water. 
Well,  you  can  do  it  by  proceeding  in  this  way:  When 
you  have  expanded  and  beaded  all  the  flues  that  were 
leaking,  you  will  then  close  the  throttle  tight,  take  off  the 
safety  valve  (as  this  is  generally  attached  at  the  highest 
point)  and  fill  the  boiler  full.  It  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  all  the  space  in  the  boiler  should  be  filled  with  cold 
water.  Then  screw  the  safety  valve  back  in  its  place. 
You  will  then  get  back  in  the  firebox  with  your  tools  and 
have  someone  place  a small  sheaf  of  wheat  or  oat  straw 
under  the  firebox  or  under  waist  of  boiler  if  open  firebox, 
and  set  fire  to  it.  The  expansive  force  of  the  water 


7 2 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


caused  by  the  heat  from  the  burning  straw  will  produce 
the  pressure  desired.  You  should  know,  however,  that 
your  safety  is  in  perfect  order.  When  the  water  begins 
to  escape  at  the  safety  valve,  you  can  readily  see  if  you 
have  expanded  your  flues  sufficiently  to  keep  them  from 
leaking. 

This  makes  a very  nice  and  steady  pressure,  and  al- 
though the  pressure  is  caused  by  heat,  it  is  a cold  water 
pressure,  as  the  water  is  not  heated  beyond  one  or  two 
degrees.  This  mode  of  testing,  however,  cannot  be  ap- 
plied in  very  cold  weather,  as  water  has  no  expansive 
force  within  a range  of  five  degrees  around  the  freez- 
ing point. 

These  tests,  however,  are  only  for  the  purpose  of  try- 
ing your  flues  and  are  not  intended  to  ascertain  the  ef- 
ficiency or  strength  of  your  boiler.  When  this  is  required, 
I would  advise  you  to  get  an  expert  to  do  it,  as  the  best 
test  for  this  is  the  hammer  test,  and  only  an  expert  should 
attempt  it. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


73 


PART  FIVE. 

Any  young  engineer  who  will  make  use  of  what  he 
has  read  will  never  get  his  engine  into  much  trouble. 
Manufacturers  of  farm  engines  today  make  a specialty 
of  this  class  of  goods,  and  they  endeavor  to  build  them 
as  simple  and  with  as  few  parts  as  possible.  They  do 
this  knowing  that,  as  a rule,  they  must  be  run  by  men 
who  cannot  take  a course  in  practical  engineering.  If 
each  one  of  the  many  thousands  of  engines  that  are 
turned  out  every  year  required  a practical  engineer  to 
run  it,  it  would  be  better  to  be  an  engineer  than  to  own 
an  engine.  Manufacturers  knowing  this,  therefore  make 
their  engines  as  simple  and  with  as  little  liability  to  get 
out  of  order  as  possible.  The  simplest  form  of  an  engine, 
however,  requires  of  the  operator  a certain  amount  of 
brains  and  a willingness  to  do  that  which  he  knows  should 
be  done.  If  you,  who  read  this,  will  follow  the  instruc- 
tions you  have  already  received,  you  can  run  your  en- 
gine as  successfuly  as  any  one  can  wish  as  long  as  your 
engine  is  in  order,  and,  as  I have  just  stated,  it  is  not 
liable  to  get  out  of  order,  except  from  constant  wear,  and 
this  wear  will  appear  in  the  boxes,  journals  and  valves. 


74 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


The  brasses  on  the  wrist  pin  and  cross-head  will  probably 
require  your  first  and  most  careful  attention,  and  of  these 
two  the  wrist  or  crank  box  will  require  the  most;  since 
what  is  true  of  one  box  is  true  of  boxes  in  general.  It  is, 
therefore,  not  necessary  to  consider  all  boxes  in  instruct- 
ing you  how  to  handle  them.  We  will  take  up  the  box 
most  likely  to  require  your  attention.  This  is  the  wrist 
box.  You  will  find  this  box  in  two  parts  or  halves.  In  a 
new  engine  you  will  find  that  these  two  halves  do  not 
meet  on  the  wrist  pin  by  at  least  one-eighth  of  an  Inch. 
They  are  brought  up  to  the  pin  by  means  of  a wedge- 
shaped  key.  (I  am  speaking  now  of  the  most  common 
form  of  wrist  boxes.  If  your  engine  should  not  have  this 
key,  it  will  have  something  which  serves  the  same  pur- 
pose.) As  the  brasses  wear  you  can  take  up  this  wear 
by  forcing  the  key  down,  which  brings  the  two  halves 
nearer  together.  You  can  continue  to  gradually  take  up 
this  wear  until  you  have  brought  them  together.  You 
will  then  see  that  it  is  necessary  to  do  something,  in  order 
to  take  up  any  more  wear,  and  this  “something”  is  to 
take  out  the  brasses  and  file  about  one-sixteenth  of  an 
inch  off  from  the  edge  of  each  brass.  This  will  allow 
you  another  eighth  of  an  inch  to  take  up  in  wear. 

Now  here  is  a nice  little  problem  for  you  to  solve  and 
I want  you  to  solve  it  to  your  own  satisfaction,  and  when 
you  do,  you  will  thoroughly  understand  it,  and  to  under- 
stand it  is  to  never  allow  it  to  get  you  into  trouble.  We 


THE  ECLIPSE  ENGINE 

One  of  the  pleasures  we  get  out  of  life  is  to  compliment  men  and 
things  deserving  of  same. 

The  Frick  Eclipse  engine  shown  here  is  one  of  the  things  deserving 
of  such  compliments,  and  to  list  it  among  the  standards  is  a pleasure. 

Get  their  catalogue  and  note  their  special  features.  Their  line  is  com- 
plete. 

See  article  on  Standard  Engines,  Page  119. 


mg  K 

OF 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


75 


started  out  by  saying  that  in  a new  engine  you  would 
most  likely  find  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  between  the 
brasses,  and  we  said  you  would  finally  get  these  brasses, 
or  halves  together,  and  would  have  to  take  them  out  and 
file  them.  Now  we  have  taken  up  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
and  the  result  is,  we  have  lengthened  our  pitman  just  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch ; or  in  other  words,  the  center  of  the 
wrist  pin  and  the  center  of  the  cross-head  are  just  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  further  apart  than  they  were  before 
any  wear  had  taken  place,  and  the  piston  head  has  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  more  clearance  at  one  end,  and  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  less  at  the  other  end  than  it  had  be- 
fore. Now  if  we  take  out  the  boxes  and  file  them  so  we 
have  another  eighth  of  an  inch,  by  the  time  we  have  taken 
up  this  wear,  we  will  then  have  this  distance  doubled, 
and  we  will  soon  have  the  piston  head  striking  the  end 
of  the  cylinder,  and  besides,  the  engine  will  not  run  as 
smooth  as  it  did.  Half  of  the  wear  comes  off  of  each 
half,  and  the  half  next  to  the  key  is  brought  up  to  the 
wrist  pin  because  of  the  tapering  key,  while  the  outside 
half  remains  in  one  place.  You  must  therefore  place  back 
of  this  half  a thin  piece  of  sheet  copper,  or  a piece  of 
tin.  Now  suppose  our  boxes  had  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
for  wear.  When  we  have  taken  up  this  much  we  must 
put  in  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  backing  (as  it  is  called), 
for  we  have  reduced  the  outside  half  by  just  that  amount. 

We  have  also  reduced  the  front  or  inside  half  the  same, 
6 


76 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


but  as  we  have  said,  the  tapering  key  brings  this  half  up 
to  its  place. 

Now  we  think  we  have  made  this  clear  enough  and  we 
will  leave  this  and  go  back  to  the  key  again.  You  must 
remember  that  we  stated  that  the  key  was  tapering  or  a 
wedged  shape.  Since  a wedge  is  equally  as  powerful  as  a 
screw  you  must  bear  in  mind  that  a slight  tap  will  bring 
these  two  boxes  up  tight  against  the  wrist  pin.  Young 
engineers  experience  more  trouble  with  this  box  than  with 
any  other  part  of  the  engine,  and  all  because  they  do  not 
know  how  to  manage  it.  You  should  be  very  careful  noit 
to  get  your  box  too  tight,  and  don’t  imagine  that  every 
time  there  is  a little  knock  about  your  engine  you  can 
stop  it  by  driving  the  key  down  a little  more.  This  is  a 
great  mistake  that  many,  and  even  old  engineers  make. 
I at  one  time  saw  a wrist  pin  and  boxes  ruined  by  the 
engineering  trying  to  stop  a knock  that  came  from  a loose 
fly-wheel.  It  is  a fact,  and  one  that  has  never  been  satis- 
factorily explained,  that  a knock  coming  from  almost 
any  part  of  an  engine  will  appear  to  be  in  the  wrist.  So 
bear  this  in  mind  and  don’t  allow  yourself  to  be  deceived 
in  this  way,  and  never  try  to  stop  a knock  until  you  have 
first  located  the  trouble  beyond  a doubt. 

When  it  becomes  necessary  to  key  up  your  brasses, 
you  will  find  it  a good  safe  way  to  loosen  up  the  set  screw 
which  holds  the  key,  then  drive  it  down  till  you  are  satis- 
fied you  have  it  tight.  Then  drive  it  back  again  and 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


77 


then  with  your  fist  drive  the  key  down  as  far  as  you  can. 
You  may  consider  this  a peculiar  kind  of  a hammer,  but 
your  boxes  will  rarely  ever  heat  after  being  keyed  in  this 
manner. 


KNOCK  IN  ENGINES 

What  makes  an  engine  knock  or  pound  ? A loose  pil- 
low block  box  is  a good  “knocker.”  The  pillow  block  is  a 
box  next  to  the  crank  or  disc  wheel.  This  box  is  usually 
fitted  with  set  bolts  and  jamb  nuts.  You  must  also  be 
careful  not  to  set  this  up  too  tight,  remembering  always 
that  a box  when  too  tight  begins  to  heat  and  this  ex- 
pands the  journal,  causing  greater  friction.  A slight  turn 
of  a set  bolt  one  way  or  the  other  may  be  sufficient  to 
cool  a box  that  may  be  running  hot,  or  to  heat  one  that 
may  be  running  cool.  A hot  box  from  neglect  of  oiling 
can  be  cooled  by  supplying  oil,  provided  it  has  not  already 
comenced  to  cut.  If  it  shows  any  sign  of  cutting,  the  only 
safe  way  is  to  remove  the  box  and  clean  it  thoroughly. 

Loose  eccentric  yokes  will  make  a knock  in  an  engine, 
and  it  may  appear  to  be  in  the  wrist.  You  will  find  pack- 
ing between  the  two  halves  of  the  yoke.  Take  out  a 
thin  sheet  of  this  packing,  but  don’t  take  out  too  much, 
as  you  are  liable  then  to  get  them  too  tight  and  they  may 
stick  and  cause  your  eccentrics  to  slip.  We  will  have 
more  to  sav  about  the  slipoimr  of  the  eccentrics  later  on. 

If  the  piston  rod  is  loose  in  the  cross-head  it  will  make 


78 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


a knock,  which  also  appears  in  the  wrist.  Tighten  the 
piston  and  you  will  stop  it.  The  piston  rod  may  be  keyed 
in  the  cross-head,  or  it  may  be  held  in  place  by  a nut. 
The  key  is  less  liable  to  get  loose,  but  should  it  work  loose 
a few  times  it  may  be  necessary  to  replace  it  with  a new 
one.  And  this  is  one  of  the  things  that  cause  a bad  break 
when  it  works  out  or  gets  loose.  If  it  gets  loose  it  may 
not  come  out,  but  it  will  not  stand  the  strain  very  long 
in  this  condition,  and  will  break,  allowing  the  piston  to 
come  out  of  the  cross-head,  and  you  are  certain  to  knock 
out  one  cylinder  head  and  possibly  both  of  them.  The 
nut  will  do  the  same  thing  if  allowed  to  come  off.  So 
this  is  one  of  the  connections  that  will  claim  your  atten- 
tion once  in  a while,  but  if  you  train  your  ear  to  detect 
any  unusual  noise  you  will  discover  it  as  soon  as  it  gives 
the  least  in  either  key  or  nut. 

The  cross-head  loose  in  the  guides  will  cause  a knock. 
If  the  cross-head  is  not  provided  for  taking  up  this  wear, 
you  can  take  off  the  guides  and  file  them  enough  to  allow 
them  to  come  up  to  the  cross-head,  but  it  is  much  better 
to  have  them  planed  off,  which  insures  the  guides  coming 
up  square  against  the  cross-head  and  thus  prevent  any 
heating  or  cutting. 

A knock  caused  by  a loose  fly-wheel  will  most  likely 
puzzle  you  more  than  anything  else.  So  remember  this, 
the  wheel  may  apparently  be  tight,  but  should  the  key 
be  the  least  bit  narrow  for  the  groove  in  the  shaft,  it 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


79 


will  make  your  engine  bump  very  similar  to  that  caused 
by  too  much  or  too  little  “lead.”  The  only  remedy  for 
a wheel  of  this  kind  is  to  have  a new  key  made,  and  be 
certain  that  the  new  key  fits  the  key  seat  in  both  the  wheel 
and  shaft. 


LEAD 

What  is  lead?  Lead  is  space  or  opening  between  the 
valve  and  the  edge  of  the  port  on  the  steam  end  of  cylin- 
der when  the  engine  is  on  dead  center.  (Dead  center 
is  the  two  points  of  disc  or  crank  wheel  at  which  the 
crank  pin  is  in  direct  line  with  piston  and  at  which  no 
amount  of  steam  will  start  the  engine.)  Different  makes 
of  engines  differ  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  impossible 
to  give  any  rule  or  any  definite  amount  of  lead  for  an 
engine.  For  instance,  an  engine  with  a port  six  inches 
long  and  one-half  inch  wide  would  require  much  less  lead 
than  one  with  a port  four  inches  long  and  one  inch 
wide.  Suppose  I should  say  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch 

was  the  proper  lead.  In  one  engine  you  would  have 
an  opening  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  wide  and  six 
inches  long  and  in  the  other  you  would  have  one 
one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  wide  and  four  inches  long; 
so  you  can  readily  see  that  it  is  impossible  to  give  the 
amount  of  lead  for  an  engine  without  knowing  the  piston 
area,  length  of  port,  speed,  etc.  Lead  allows  live  steam 
to  enter  the  cylinder  just  ahead  of  the  piston  at  the  point 
of  finishing  the  stroke,  and  forms  a “cushion,”  and  en- 


8o 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


ables  the  engine  to  pass  the  center  without  a jar.  Too 
much  lead  is  a source  of  weakness  to  an  engine,  as  it  al- 
lows the  steam  to  enter  the  cylinder  too  soon  and  forms  a 
back  pressure  and  tends  to  prevent  the  engine  from  pass- 
ing the  center.  It  will,  therefore,  make  your  engine 
bump,  and  make  it  very  difficult  to  hold  the  packing  in 
the  stuffing  box. 

Insufficient  lead  will  not  allow  enough  steam  to  enter 
the  cylinder  ahead  of  piston  to  afford  cushion  enough  to 
stop  the  inertia,  and  the  result  will  be  that  your  engine 
will  pound  on  the  wrist  pin.  You  most  likely  have  con- 
cluded by  this  time  that  “lead”  is  no  small  factor  in  the 
smooth  running  of  an  engine,  and  you,  as  a matter  of 
course,  will  want  to  know  how  you  are  to  obtain  the 
proper  lead.  Well,  don’t  worry  yourself.  Your  engine  is 
not  going  to  have  too  much  lead  today  and  not  enough 
tomorrow.  If  your  engine  was  properly  set  up  in  the 
first  place  the  lead  will  be  all  right,  and  continue  to  be 
right  as  long  as  the  valve  is  not  disturbed  from  its  original 
position.  This  brings  us  to  the  most  important  duty  of 
an  engineer  as  far  as  the  engine  is  concerned,  viz. : Set- 

ting the  Valve. 

SETTING  A VALVE 

The  proper  and  accurate  setting  of  a valve  on  a steam 
engine  is  one  of  the  most  important  duties  that  you  will 
have  to  perform,  as  it  requires  a nicety  of  calculation  and 


WOOD  BROS.  ENGINE 

There  is  beauty  in  the  lines  of  a well  proportioned  engine,  as  well  as 
in  that  of  well  bred  stock,  and  the  practical  engineer,  on  seeing  the 
above  engine  will  readily  comprehend  my  meaning.  It  is  manufactured 
by  the  Wood  Bros.  Steel  Self-Feeder  Co.,  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  who  build  a 
full  line  of  engines,  threshers,  feeders,  engine  tenders,  etc.  Standards 


every  one. 


See  article  on  Standard  Engines,  Page  119. 


Of  'Wft 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


8* 


mechanical  accuracy.  And  when  we  remember  also  that 
this  is  another  one  of  the  things  for  which  no  uniform 
rule  can  be  adopted,  owing  to  the  many  circumstances 
which  go  to  make  an  engine  so  different  under  different 
conditions,  we  find  it  very  difficult  to  give  you  the  light 
on  this  part  of  your  duty  which  we  would  wish  to.  We, 
however,  hope  to  make  it  so  clear  to  you  that  by  the  aid 
of  the  engine  before  you,  you  can  readily  understand  the 
conditions  and  principles  which  control  the  valve  in  the 
particular  engine  which  you  may  have  under  your  man- 
agement. 

The  power  and  economy  of  an  engine  depends  largely 
on  the  accurate  operation  of  its  valve.  It  is,  therefore, 
necessary  that  you  know  how  to  reset  it,  should  it  become 
necessary  to  do  so. 

An  authority  says,  “Bring  your  engine  to  a dead  center 
and  then  adjust  your  valve  to  the  proper  lead.”  This  is 
all  right  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  how  are  you  to  find  the 
dead  center?  I know  that  it  is  a common  custom  in  the 
field  to  bring  the  engine  to  a center  by  the  use  of  the  eye. 
You  may  have  a good  eye,  but  it  is  not  good  enough  to 
depend  on  for  the  accurate  setting  of  a valve. 

HOW  TO  FIND  THE  DEAD  CENTER 

First,  provide  yourself  with  a “tram.”  This  you  can 
do  by  taking  a ]A,  inch  iron  rod,  about  18  inches  long, 


82 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


and  bend  about  two  inches  of  one  end  to  a sharp  angle. 
Then  sharpen  both  ends  to  a nice  sharp  point.  Now, 
fasten  securely  a block  of  hard  wood  somewhere  near  the 
face  of  the  fly  wheel,  so  that  when  the  straight  end  of 
your  tram  is  placed  at  a definite  point  in  the  block  the 
other,  or  hook  end,  will  reach  the  crown  of  the  fly  wheel. 

Be  certain  that  the  block  cannot  move  from  its  place, 
and  be  careful  to  place  the  tram  at  exactly  the  same  point 
on  the  block  at  each  time  you  bring  the  tram  into  use. 
You  are  now  ready  to  proceed  to  find  the  dead  center, 
and  in  doing  this  remember  to  turn  the  fly  wheel  always 
in  the  same  direction.  Now,  turn  your  engine  over  till 
it  nears  one  of  the  centers,  but  not  quite  to  it.  You  will 
then,  by  the  aid  of  a straight-edge,  make  a clear  and  dis- 
tinct mark  across  the  guides  and  cross-head.  Now,  go 
around  to  the  fly  wheel  and  place  the  straight  end  of  the 
tram  on  the  same  point  on  the  block,  and  with  the  hook 
end  make  a mark  across  the  crown  or  center  of  face  of 
fly  wheel ; now  turn  your  engine  past  the  center  and  on  to 
the  point  at  which  the  line  on  cross-head  is  exactly  in 
line  with  the  lines  on  guides.  Again,  place  your  tram  in 
the  same  place  as  before,  and  make  another  mark  across 
the  crown  of  fly  wheel.  By  the  use  of  dividers  find  the 
exact  center  between  the  two  marks  made  on  fly  wheel 
and  mark  this  point  with  a center  punch.  Now,  bring  the 
fly  wheel  to  the  point  at  which  the  tram,  when  placed  at 
its  proper  place  on  block,  the  hook  end,  or  point,  will 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


83 


touch  this  punch  mark,  and  you  will  have  one  of  the  exact 
dead  centers. 

Now,  turn  the  engine  over  till  it  nears  the  other  center, 
and  proceed  exactly  as  before,  remembering  always  to 
place  the  straight  end  of  tram  exactly  in  same  place  in 
block,  and  you  will  find  both  dead  centers  as  accurately 
as  if  you  had  all  the  fine  tools  of  an  engine  builder. 

You  are  now  ready  to  proceed  with  the  setting  of  your 
valve,  and  as  you  have  both  dead  centers  to  work  from, 
you  ought  to  be  able  to  do  it,  as  you  do  not  have  to  de- 
pend on  your  eye  to  find  them,  and  by  the  use  of  the  tram 
you  turn  your  engine  to  exactly  the  same  point  every  time 
you  wish  to  get  a center. 

Remove  the  cap  on  the  steam  chest,  place  your  engine 
on  dead  center  and  give  your  valve  the  necessary  amount 
of  lead  on  the  steam  end.  Now,  we  have  already  stated 
that  we  could  not  give  you  the  proper  amount  of  lead  for 
an  engine.  It  is  presumed  that  the  maker  of  your  en- 
gine knew  the  amount  best  adapted  to  this  engine,  and 
you  can  ascertain  his  idea  of  this  by  first  allowing,  we 
will  say,  about  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch.  Next  bring 
your  engine  to  the  other  center,  and  if  the  other  end  has 
less  than  one-sixteenth,  then  you  must  conclude  that  he 
intended  to  allow  less  than  one-sixteenth,  but  should  it 
show  more  than  this,  it  is  evident  that  he  intended  more 
than  one-sixteenth  lead;  but  in  either  case  you  must  ad- 
just your  valve  so  as  to  divide  the  space,  in  order  to  secure 


84 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


the  same  lead  when  on  either  center.  In  the  absence  of 
any  better  tool  to  ascertain  if  the  lead  is  the  same,  make 
a tapering  wooden  wedge  of  soft  wood,  turn  the  engine 
to  a center  and  force  the  wedge  into  the  opening  made 
by  the  valve  hard  enough  to  mark  the  wood;  then  turn 
to  the  next  center,  and  if  the  wedge  enters  the  same 
distance,  you  are  correct;  if  not,  adjust  till  it  does,  and 
when  you  have  it  set  at  the  proper  place  you  had  best 
mark  it  by  taking  a sharp  cold  chisel  and  place  it  so 
that  it  will  cut  into  the  hub  of  the  eccentric  and  in  the 
shaft;  then  hit  it  a smart  blow  with  a hammer.  This 
should  be  done  after  you  have  set  the  set  screws  in  the 
eccentric  down  solid  on  the  shaft.  Then,  at  any  time 
should  your  eccentric  slip,  you  have  only  to  bring  it  back 
to  the  chisel  mark  and  fasten  it,  and  you  are  ready  to  go 
ahead  again. 

This  is  for  a plain  or  single  eccentric  engine.  A double 
or  reversible  engine,  however,  is  somewhat  more  diffi- 
cult to  handle  in  setting  the  valve.  Not  that  the  valve 
itself  is  any  different  from  a plain  engine,  but  from 
the  fact  that  the  link  may  confuse  you,  and  while  the 
link  may  be  in  position  to  run  the  engine  one  way  you 
may  be  endeavoring  to  set  the  valve  to  run  it  the  other 
way. 

The  proper  way  to  proceed  with  this  kind  of  an  engine 
is  to  bring  the  reverse  lever  to  a position  to  run  the  en- 
gine forward,  then  proceed  to  set  your  valve  _the  same 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


85 


as  on  a plain  engine.  When  you  have  it  at  the  proper 
place,  tighten  just  enough  to  keep  from  slipping,  then 
bring  your  revese  lever  to  the  reverse  position  and  bring 
your  engine  to  the  center.  If  it  shows  the  same  lead  for 
the  reverse  motion  you  are  then  ready  to  tighten  your 
eccentrics  securely,  and  they  should  be  marked  as  before. 

You  may  imagine  that  you  will  have  this  to  do  often. 
Well  don’t  be  scared  about  it.  You  may  run  an  engine 
a long  time,  and  never  have  to  set  a valve.  I have  heard 
these  windy  engineers  (you  have  seen  them),  say  that 
they  had  to  go  and  set  Mr.  A’s  or  Mr.  B’s  valve,  when 
the  facts  were,  if  they  did  anything,  it  was  simply  to  bring 
the  eccentrics  back  to  their  original  position.  They  hap- 
pened to  know  that  most  all  engines  are  plainly  marked 
at  the  factory,  and  all  there  was  to  do  was  to  bring  the 
eccentrics  back  to  these  marks  and  fasten  them,  and  the 
valve  was  set.  The  slipping  of  the  eccentrics  is  about  the 
only  cause  for  a valve’s  working  badly.  You  should  there- 
fore keep  all  grease  and  dirt  away  from  these  marks ; keep 
the  set  screws  well  tightened,  and  notice  them  frequently 
to  see  that  they  do  not  slip.  Should  they  slip  a one-six- 
teenth part  of  an  inch,  a well  educated  ear  can  detect  it  in 
the  exhaust.  Should  they  slip  a part  of  a turn  as  they  will 
some  times,  the  engine  may  stop  instantly,  or  it  may  cut 
a few  peculiar  circles  for  a minute  or  two,  but  don’t  get 
excited,  look  to  the  eccentrics  at  once  for  the  trouble. 

Your  engine  may,  however,  act  very  queerly  some 


86 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


times  and  you  may  find  the  eccentrics  in  their  proper 
place.  Then  you  must  go  into  the  steam  chest  for  the 
trouble.  The  valves  in  different  engines  are  fastened  on 
the  valve  rod  in  different  ways.  Some  are  held  in  place 
by  jamb  nuts,  and  a nut  may  have  worked  loose,  causing 
lost  motion  on  the  valve.  This  will  make  your  engine 
work  badly.  Other  engines  hold  their  valve  by  a clamp 
and  pin.  This  pin  may  work  out,  and  when  it  does,  your 
engine  will  stop,  very  quickly  too. 

If  you  thoroughly  understand  the  working  of  the 
steam,  you  can  readily  detect  any  defect  in  your  cylinder 
or  steam  chest,  by  the  use  of  your  cylinder  cocks.  Sup- 
pose we  try  them  once.  Turn  your  engine  on  the  for- 
ward center,  now  open  the  cocks  and  give  the  engine  the 
steam  pressure.  If  the  steam  blows  out  at  the  forward 
cock  we  know  that  we  have  sufficient  lead.  Now  turn 
back  to  the  back  center,  and  give  it  steam  again;  if  it 
blows  out  the  same  at  this  cock,  we  can  conclude  that 
our  valve  is  in  its  proper  position.  Now  reverse  the  en- 
gine and  do  the  same  thing;  if  the  cocks  act  the  same, 
we  know  we  are  right.  Suppose  the  steam  blows  out  of 
one  cock  all  right  and  when  we  bring  the  engine  to  the 
other  center  no  steam  escapes  from  this  cock,  then  we 
know  that  something  is  wrong  with  the  valve,  and  if  the 
eccentrics  are  in  their  proper  position  the  trouble  must  be 
in  the  steam  chest.  If  we  open  it  up  we  will  find  the 
valve  has  become  loosened  on  the  rod.  Again  suppose  we 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  f>7 

put  the  engine  on  center,  and  on  giving  it  steam,  we  find 
the  steam  blowing  out  at  both  cocks. 

Now  what  is  the  trouble,  for  no  engine  in  perfect  shape 
will  allow  the  steam  to  blow  out  of  both  cocks  at  the 
same  time.  It  is  one  of  two  things,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  tell.  Either  the  cylinder  rings  leak  and  allow  the 
steam  to  blow  through,  or  else  the  valve  is  cut  on  the 
seat,  and  allows  the  steam  to  blow  over.  Either  of  these 
two  causes  is  bad,  as  it  not  only  weakens  your  engine, 
but  causes  a great  waste  of  fuel  and  water.  The  way 
to  determine  which  of  the  two  causes  this  is  to  take  off 
the  cylinder  head,  turn  engine  on  forward  center  and 
open  throttle  slightly.  If  the  steam  is  seen  to  blow  out 
of  the  port  at  open  end  of  cylinder,  then  the  trouble  is  in 
the  valve,  but  if  not,  you  will  see  it  blowing  through 
from  forward  end  of  cylinder,  and  the  trouble  is  in  the 
cylinder  rings. 

What  is  the  remedy?  Well,  if  the  “rings”  are  the 
trouble,  a new  set  will  most  likely  remedy  it  should  they 
be  of  the  automatic  or  self-setting  pattern,  but  should 
they  be  of  the  spring  or  adjusting  pattern,  you  can  take 
out  the  head  and  set  the  rings  out  to  stop  this  blowing. 
As  most  all  engines  now  are  using  the  self-setting  rings, 
you  will  most  likely  require  a new  set. 

If  the  trouble  is  in  the  valve  or  steam  chest,  you  had 
best  take  it  off  and  have  the  valve  seat  planed  down,  and 
the  valve  seated  to  it.  This  is  the  safest  and  best  way. 


88 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


Never  attempt  to  dress  a valve  down,  you  are  most  cer- 
tain to  make  a bad  job  of  it. 

And  yet  I don’t  like  the  idea  of  advising  you  not  to 
do  a thing  that  can  be  done,  for  I do  like  an  engineer 
who  does  not  run  to  the  shop  for  every  little  trouble. 
However,  unless  you  have  the  proper  tools  you  had  best 
not  attempt  it.  The  only  safe  way  is  to  scrape  them 
down,  for  if  your  valve  is  cut,  you  will  find  the  valve  seat 
is  cut  equally  as  bad,  and  they  must  both  be  scraped  to 
a perfect  fit.  Provide  yourself  with  a piece  of  flat  steel, 
very  hard,  3x4  inches  by  about  % inch,  with  a perfectly 
straight  edge.  With  this  scrape  the  valve  and  seat  to 
a perfectly  flat  surface.  It  will  be  a slower  process  than 
scraping  wood  with  a piece  of  glass,  but  you  can  do  it. 
Never  use  a chisel  or  a file  on  a valve. 

LUBRICATING  OIL 

What  is  oil? 

Oil  is  a coating  for  a journal,  or  in  other  words  is  a 
lining  between  bearings. 

Did  you  ever  stop  long  enough  to  ask  yourself  the 
question?  I doubt  it.  A great  many  people  buy  some- 
thing to  use  on  their  engine,  because  it  is  called  oil.  Now 
if  the  object  in  using  oil  is  to  keep  a lining  between  the 
bearings,  is  it  not  reasonable  that  you  use  something 
that  will  adhere  to  that  which  it  is  to  line  or  cover  ? 

Gasoline  will  cover  a journal  for  a minute  or  two,  and 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


89 


oil  a grade  better  would  last  a few  minutes  longer.  Still 
another  grade  would  do  some  better.  Now  if  you  are 
running  your  own  engine,  buy  the  best  oil  you  can  buy. 
You  will  find  it  very  poor  economy  to  buy  cheap  oil,  and 
if  you  are  not  posted,  you  may  pay  price  enough,  but 
get  a very  poor  article. 

If  you  are  running  an  engine  for  some  one  else,  make 
it  part  of  your  contract  that  you  are  furnished  with  a 
good  oil.  You  can  not  keep  an  engine  in  good  shape 
with  a cheap  oil.  You  say  “you  are  going  to  keep  your 
engine  clean  and  bright,”  but  that  is  impossible  if  you 
must  use  a poor  oil. 

Poor  oil  is  largely  responsible  for  the  fast  going  out 
of  use  of  the  link  reverse  among  the  makers  of  trac- 
tion engines.  While  I think  it  very  doubtful  if  this  “re- 
verse motion”  can  be  equalled  by  any  of  the  late  devices, 
its  construction  is  such  as  to  require  the  best  grade  of 
cylinder  oil,  and  without  this  it  is  very  unsatisfactory 
(not  because  the  valves  of  other  valve-motions  will  do 
with  a poorer  grade  of  oil),  but  because  its  construction 
is  such  that  as  soon  as  the  valve  becomes  dry  it  causes 
the  link  to  jump  and  pound,  and  very  soon  requires  re- 
pairing. While  the  construction  of  various  other  devices 
are  such,  that  while  the  valve  may  be  equally  as  dry  it 
does  not  show  the  want  of  oil  so  clearly  as  the  old  style 
link.  Yet  as  a matter  of  fact  I care  not  what  the  valve- 
motion  may  be,  it  requires  a good  grade  of  oil. 


90 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


You  may  ask  “how  am  I to  know  when  I am  getting 
a good  grade  of  oil  ?”  The  best  way  is  to  ascertain  a good 
brand  of  oil,  then  use  that  and  nothing  else. 

We  are  not  selling  oil,  or  advertising  oil.  However, 
before  I get  through  I propose  to  give  you  the  name  of  a 
good  brand  of  cylinder  oil,  a good  engine  oil  as  well  as 
good  articles  of  various  attachments,  which  cut  no  small 
figure  in  the  success  you  may  have  in  running  an  engine. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  an  engineer  (I  don’t 
like  to  call  him  an  engineer  either)  to  fill  his  sight-feed  lu- 
bricator with  ordinary  engine  oil,  and  then  wonder  why 
his  cylinder  squeaks.  The  reason  is  that  this  grade  of  oil 
cannot  stand  the  heat  in  the  cylinder  or  steam  chest. 

If  you  are  carrying  90  pounds  of  steam  you  have  about 
320  degrees  of  heat  in  your  cylinder,  with  120  to  125 
pounds  you  will  have  about  350  degrees  of  heat,  and  in 
order  to  lubricate  your  valve  and  valve-seat,  and  also  the 
cylinder  surface,  you  must  use  an  oil  that  will  not  only 
stand  this  heat  but  considerably  more  so  that  it  will  have 
some  staying  qualities.  \ 

Then  if  you  are  using  a good  quality  of  oil  and  your 
link  or  reverse  begins  to  knock,  it  is  because  some  part  of 
it  wants  attention,  and  you  must  look  after  it.  And  here 
is  where  I want  to  insist  that  you  teach  your  ear  to  be 
your  guide.  You  ought  to  be  able  to  detect  the  slightest 
sound  that  is  unnatural  to  your  engine.  Your  eyes  may 
be  deceived,  but  a well  trained  ear  can  not  be  fooled. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  9I 

I was  once  invited  by  an  engineer  to  come  out  and  see 
How  nice  his  engine  was  running.  I went,  and  found  that 
the  engine  itself  was  running  very  smoothly,  in  fact  al- 
most noiselessly,  but  he  looked  very  much  disappointed 
when  I asked  him  why  he  was  doing  all  his  work  with 
one  end  of  the  cylinder.  He  asked  me  what  I meant, 
and  I had  some  difficulty  in  getting  him  to  detect  the 
difference  in  the  exhaust  of  the  two  ends,  in  fact  the  en- 
gine was  only  making  one  exhaust  to  a revolution.  He 
was  one  of  those  engineers  who  never  discovered  any- 
thing wrong  until  he  could  see  it.  Did  you  know  that 
there  are  people  in  the  world  whose  mental  capacity  can 
only  grasp  one  idea  at  a time?  That  is  when  their  minds 
are  on  any  one  object  or  principle  they  can  not  see  or 
observe  anything  else.  That  was  the  case  with  this  en- 
gineer, his  mind  had  been  thoroughly  occupied  in  getting 
all  the  reciprocating  (moving)  parts  perfectly  adjusted, 
and  if  the  exhaust  had  made  all  sorts  of  peculiar  noises, 
he  would  not  have  discovered  it. 

The  one  idea  man  will  not  make  a successful  engineer. 
The  good  engineer  can  stand  by  and  at  a glance  take  in 
the  entire  engine,  from  the  tank  to  the  top  of  the  smoke 
stack.  He  has  the  faculty  of  noting  mentally,  what  he 
sees,  and  what  he  hears,  and  by  combining  the  results  of 
the  two,  he  is  enabled  to  size  up  the  condition  of  the  en- 
gine at  a glance.  This,  however,  only  comes  with  experi- 


7 


92 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


ence,  and  verges  on  expertness.  And  if  you  wish  to  be 
an  expert,  learn  to  be  observing. 

It  is  getting  very  common  among  engineers  to  use 
“hard  grease”  on  the  crank  pin  and  main  journals,  and 
it  will  very  soon  be  used  exclusively.  With  a good  grade 
of  grease  your  crank  will  not  heat  so  quickly  as  with 
oil  and  your  engine  will  be  much  easier  to  keep  clean. 
If  you  are  going  to  be  an  engineer  be  a neat  one,  keep 
your  engine  clean  and  keep  yourself  clean.  You  say  you 
can’t  do  that;  but  you  can  at  least  keep  yourself  looking 
respectably.  You  will  most  certainly  keep  your  engine 
looking  as  though  it  had  an  engineer.  Keep  a good 
bunch  of  waste  handy,  and  when  it  is  necessary  to  wipe 
your  hands  use  the  waste  and  not  your  overalls,  and  when 
you  go  in  to  a nice  dinner  the  cook  will  not  say  after  you 
go  out,  “Look  here  where  that  dirty  engineer  sat.”  Now 
boys,  these  are  things  worth  heeding.  I have  actually 
known  threshing  crews  to  lose  good  customers  simply 
because  of  their  dirty  clothes.  The  women  kicked  and 
they  had  a right  to  kick.  Of  course,  you  are  not  ex- 
pected to  wear  a shirt  v/aist  or  knee  pants,  but  you  ought 
to  take  some  pride  in  your  personal  appearance.  A dirty, 
greasy  pair  of  overalls  is  no  sign  of  an  engineer,  and 
again  these  same  old  greasy  overalls  are  nothing  to  be 
ashamed  of,  but  it  is  a very  easy  matter  to  slip  them  off 
before  going  into  a clean  house.  Suppose  the  entire  crew 
of  a threshing  outfit  should  make  it  a rule  to  remove  their 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


93 


dirty  clothes  before  going  into  a house;  don’t  you  think 
the  old  man  would  have  a hard  time  persuading  the 
women  of  the  house  to  allow  him  to  get  some  other  crew 
to  thresh  for  him  the  next  fall? 

It  is  not  any  part  of  my  business  to  dictate  to  a thresh- 
ing crew,  but  it  is  my  duty  to  put  the  engineer  onto  any- 
thing that  will  be  to  his  advantage,  and  cleanliness  is 
one  of  the  things  that  will  be  to  his  advantage.  If  you 
are  running  your  own  engine,  you  will  find  it  pays  in  a 
business  sense.  If  you  are  running  an  engine  for  some 
one  else,  this  habit  you  will  find  will  class  you  among 
the  best  engineers. 

An  engineer  who  keeps  himself  as  clean  as  he  can, 
keeps  his  engine  as  clean  as  he  can;  and  while  a good 
engineer  does  not  always  have  a clean  engine,  a clean  en- 
gine always  has  a good  engineer.  Do  you  see  the  point  ? 
But  to  return  to  hard  grease  and  suitable  cups  for  same. 

In  attaching  these  grease  cups  on  boxes  not  previously 
arranged  for  them,  it  would  be  well  for  you  to  know 
how  to  do  it  properly.  You  will  remove  the  journal, 
take  a gouge  and  cut  a clean  groove  across  the  box,  start- 
ing in  at  one  corner,  about  of  an  inch  from  the  point 
of  box  and  cut  diagonally  across,  coming  out  at  the  op- 
posite corner  on  the  other  end  of  box.  Then  start  at  the 
opposite  corner  and  run  through  as  before,  crossing  the 
first  proove  in  the  center  of  box.  Groove  both  halves  of 
box  the  same,  being  careful  not  to  cut  out  at  either  end, 


94 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


as  this  will  allow  the  grease  to  escape  from  the  box  and 
cause  unnecessary  waste.  The  shimming  or  packing  in 
the  box  should  be  cut  so  as  to  touch  the  journal  at  both 
ends  of  the  box,  but  not  in  the  center  or  between  these 
two  points.  So,  when  the  top  box  is  brought  down  tight, 
this  will  form  another  reservoir  for  the  grease.  If  the 
box  is  not  tapped  directly  in  the  center  for  the  cup,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  cut  other  grooves  from  where  it  is  tapped 
into  the  grooves  already  made.  A box  prepared  in  this 
way  will  require  but  little  attention  if  you  use  good 
grease. 

A HOT  BOX 

You  will  sometimes  get  a hot  box.  What  is  the  best 
remedy?  Well,  I might  name  you  a dozen,  and  if  I did 
you  would  most  likely  never  have  one  on  hand  when  it 
was  wanted.  So  I will  only  give  you  one,  and  that  is 
white  lead  and  oil,  and  I want  you  to  provide  yourself 
with  a can  of  this  useful  article.  And  should  a journal 
or  box  get  hot  on  your  hands  and  refuse  to  cool  with  the 
usual  methods,  remove  the  cap,  and  after  mixing  a por- 
tion of  the  lead  with  oil,  put  a heavy  coat  of  it  on  the 
journal,  put  back  the  cap  and  your  journal  will  cool  off 
very  quickly.  Be  careful  to  keep  all  grit  or  dust  out  of 
your  can  of  lead.  Look  after  this  part  of  it  yourself. 
It  is  your  business. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


95 


PART  SIX. 

Before  taking  up  the  handling  of  a Traction  Engine, 
we  want  to  tell  you  of  a number  of  things  you  are  likely 
to  do  which  you  ought  not  to  do. 

Don’t  open  the  throttle  too  quickly,  or  you  may  throw 
the  drive  belt  off.  It  is  also  more  apt  to  raise  the  water 
and  start  priming. 

Don’t  attempt  to  start  the  engine  with  the  cylinder 
cocks  closed,  but  make  it  a habit  to  open  them  when  you 
stop ; this  will  always  insure  your  cylinder  being  free  from 
water  on  starting. 

Don’t  talk  too  much  while  on  duty. 

Don’t  pull  the  ashes  out  of  the  ash  pan  unless  you  have 
a bucket  of  water  handy. 

Don’t  start  the  pump  when  you  know  you  have  low 
water. 

Don’t  let  it  get  low. 

Don’t  let  your  engine  get  dirty. 

Don’t  say  you  can’t  keep  it  clean. 

Don’t  leave  your  engine  at  night  till  you  have  covered 
it  up. 

Don’t  let  the  exhaust  nozzle  lime  up,  and  don’t  allow 


96 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


lime  to  collect  where  the  water  enters  the  boiler,  or  you 
may  split  a heater  pipe  or  knock  the  top  off  from  a check 
valve. 

Don’t  leave  your  engine  in  cold  weather  without  first 
draining  all  pipes. 

Don’t  disconnect  your  engine  with  a leaky  throttle. 

Don’t  allow  the  steam  to  vary  more  than  io  to  15 
pounds  while  at  work. 

Don’t  allow  anyone  to  fool  with  your  engine. 

Don’t  try  any  foolish  experiments  on  your  engine. 

Don’t  run  an  old  boiler  without  first  having  it  thor- 
oughly tested. 

Don’t  stop  when  descending  a steep  grade. 

Don’t  pull  through  a stackyard  without  first  closing  the 
damper  tight. 

Don’t  pull  onto  a strange  bridge  without  first  ex- 
amining it. 

Don’t  run  any  risk  on  a bad  bridge. 

A TRACTION  ENGINE  ON  THE  ROAD 

You  may  know  all  about  an  engine.  You  may  be  able 
to  build  one,  and  yet  run  a traction  in  the  ditch  the  first 
jump. 

It  is  a fact  that  some  men  never  can  become  good  oper- 
ators of  a traction  engine,  and  I can’t  give  you  the  rea- 
son why  any  more  than  you  can  tell  why  one  man  can 
handle  a pair  of  horses  better  than  another  man  who  has 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


97 


had  the  same  advantages.  And  yet  if  you  do  ditch  your 
engine  a few  times,  don’t  conclude  that  you  can  never 
handle  a traction. 

If  you  are  going  to  run  a traction  engine  I would  ad- 
vise you  to  use  your  best  efforts  to  become  an  expert 
at  it.  For  the  expert  will  hook  up  to  his  load  and  get  out 
of  the  neighborhood  while  the  awkward  fellow  is  getting 
his  engine  around  ready  to  hook  up. 

The  expert  will  line  up  to  the  seperator  the  first  time, 
while  the  other  fellow  will  back  and  twist  around  for  half 
an  hour,  and  then  not  have  a good  job. 

Now  don’t  make  the  fatal  mistake  of  thinking  that  the 
fellow  is  an  expert  who  jumps  up  on  his  engine  and  jerks 
the  throttle  open  and  yanks  it  around  backward  and  for- 
ward, reversing  with  a snap,  and  makes  it  stand  up  on  its 
hind  wheels. 

If  you  want  to  be  an  expert  you  must  begin  with  the 
throttle,  therein  lies  the  secret  of  the  real  expert.  He 
feels  the  power  of  his  engine  through  the  throttle.  He 
opens  it  just  enough  to  do  what  he  wants  it  to  do.  He 
therefore  has  complete  control  of  his  engine.  The  fellow 
who  backs  his  engine  up  to  the  separator  with  an  open 
throttle  and  must  reverse  it  to  keep  from  running  into 
and  breaking  something,  is  running  his  engine  on  his 
muscle  and  is  entitled  to  small  pay. 

The  expert  brings  his  engine  back  under  full  control, 
and  stops  it  exactly  where  he  wants  it.  He  handles  his 


98 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


engine  with  his  head  and  .should  be  paid  accordingly.  He 
never  makes  a false  move,  loses  no  time,  breaks  nothing, 
makes  no  unnecessary  noise,  does  not  get  the  water  all 
stirred  up  in  the  boiler,  hooks  up  and  moves  out  in  the 
same  quiet  manner,  and  the  onlookers  think  he  could 
pull  two  such  loads,  and  say  he  has  a great  engine,  while 
the  engineer  of  muscle  would  back  up  and  jerk  his  en- 
gine around  a half  dozen  times  before  he  could  make  the 
coupling,  then  with  a jerk  and  a snort  he  yanks  the  sep- 
arator out  of  the  holes,  and  the  onlookers  think  he  has 
about  all  he  can  pull. 

Now  these  are  facts,  and  they  cannot  be  put  too  strong, 
and  if  you  are  going  to  depend  on  your  muscle  to  run 
your  engine,  don’t  ask  any  more  money  than  you  would 
get  at  any  other  day  labor. 

You  are  not  expected  to  become  an  expert  all  at  once. 
Three  things  are  essential  to  be  able  to  handle  a traction 
engine  as  it  should  be  handled. 

First,  a thorough  knowledge  of  the  throttle.  I don’t 
mean  that  you  should  simply  know  how  to  pull  it  open 
and  shut  it.  Any  boy  can  do  that.  But  I mean  that  you 
should  be  a good  judge  of  the  amount  of  power  it  will 
require  to  do  what  you  may  wish  to  do,  and  then  give  it 
the  amount  of  steam  that  it  will  require  and  no  more. 
To  illustrate  this  I will  give  an  instance. 

An  expert  was  called  a long  distance  to  see  an  engine 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


99 


that  the  operator  said  would  not  pull  its  load  over  the 
hills  he  had  to  travel. 

The  first  pull  he  had  to  make  after  the  expert  arrived 
was  up  the  worst  hill  he  had.  When  he  approached  the 
grade  he  threw  off  the  governor  belt,  opened  the  throttle 
as  wide  as  he  could  get  it,  and  made  a run  for  the  hill. 
The  result  was,  that  he  lifted  the  water  and  choked  the 
engine  down  before  he  was  half  way  up.  He  stepped  off 
with  the  remark,  “That  is  the  way  the  thing  does.”  The 
expert  then  locked  the  hind  wheels  of  the  separator  with 
a timber,  and  without  raising  the  pressure  a pound,  pulled 
it  over  the  hill.  He  gave  it  just  throttle  enough  to  pull 
the  load,  and  made  no  effort  to  hurry  it,  and  still  had 
power  to  spare. 

A locomotive  engineer  makes  a run  for  a hill  in  or- 
der that  the  momentum  of  his  train  will  help  carry 
him  over.  It  is  not  so  with  a traction  engine  and  its 
load ; the  momentum  that  you  get  won’t  push  very  hard. 

The  engineer  who  doesn’t  know  how  to  throttle  his 
engine  never  knows  what  it  will  do,  and  therefore  has 
but  little  confidence  in  it;  while  the  engineer  who  has 
a thorough  knowledge  of  the  throttle  and  uses  it,  al- 
ways has  power  to  spare  and  has  perfect  confidence  in 
his  engine.  He  knows  exactly  what  he  can  do  and 
what  he  cannot  do. 

The  second  thing  for  you  to  know  is  to  get  onto  the 
tricks  of  the  steering  wheel.  This  will  come  to  you  na- 


IOO 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


turally,  and  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  spend  much  time 
on  it.  All  new  beginners  make  the  mistake  of  turn- 
ing the  wheel  too  often.  Remember  this — that  every 
extra  turn  to  the  right  requires  two  turns  to  the  left, 
and  every  extra  turn  to  the  left  requires  two  more  to 
the  right;  especially  in  this  the  case  if  your  engine  is 
fast  on  the  road. 

The  third  thing  for  you  to  learn,  is  to  keep  your 
eyes  on  the  front  wheels  of  your  engine,  and  not  be 
looking  back  to  see  if  your  load  is  coming. 

In  making  a difficult  turn  you  will  find  it  very  much 
to  your  advantage  to  go  slow,  as  it  gives  you  much 
better  control  of  your  front  wheels,  and  it  is  not  a bad 
plan  for  a beginner  to  continue  to  go  slow  till  he  has 
perfect  confidence  in  his  ability  to  handle  the  steering 
wheel  as  it  may  keep  him  out  of  some  bad  scrapes. 

How  about  getting  into  a hole?  Well,  you  are  not 
interested  half  as  much  in  knowing  how  to  get  into  a 
hole  as  you  are  in  knowing  how  to  get  out.  An  en- 
gineer never  shows  the  stuff  he  is  made  of  to  such 
good  advantage  as  when  he  gets  into  a hole;  and  he 
is  sure  to  get  there,  for  one  of  the  traits  of  a traction 
engine  is  its  natural  ability  to  find  a soft  place  in  the 
ground. 

Head  work  will  get  you  out  of  a bad  place  quicker 
than  all  the  steam  you  can  get  in  the  boiler.  Never 
allow  the  drivers  to  turn  without  doing  some  good.  If 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


IOI 


you  are  in  a hole,  and  you  are  able  to  turn  your  wheels, 
you  are  not  stuck;  but  don’t  allow  your  wheels  to  slip, 
it  only  lets  you  in  deeper.  If  your  wheels  can’t  get  a 
footing,  you  want  to  give  them  something  to  hold  to. 
Most  smart  engineers  will  tell  you  that  the  best  thing  is  a 
heavy  chain.  That  is  true.  So  are  gold  dollars  the  best 
things  to  buy  bread  with,  but  you  have  not  always  got 
the  gold  dollars,  neither  have  you  always  got  the  chain. 
Old  hay  or  straw  is  a good  thing;  old  rails  or  timber 
of  any  kind.  The  engineer  with  a head  spends  more 
time  trying  to  give  his  wheels  a hold  than  he  does  try- 
ing to  pull  out,  while  the  one  without  a head  spends 
more  time  trying  to  pull  out  than  he  does  trying  to 
secure  a footing,  and  the  result  is,  that  the  first  fellow 
generally  gets  out  at  the  first  attempt,  while  the  other 
fellow  is  lucky  if  he  gets  out  the  first  half  day. 

If  you  have  one  wheel  perfectly  secure,  don’t  spoil 
it  by  starting  your  engine  till  you  have  the  other  just 
as  secure. 

If  you  get  into  a place  where  your  engine  is  unable 
to  turn  its  wheels,  then  you  are  stuck,  and  the  only 
thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  lighten  your  load  or  dig  out. 
But  under  all  circumstances  your  engine  should  be 
given  the  benefit  of  your  judgement. 

All  traction  engines  to  be  practical  must  of  a neces- 
shv  be  reversible.  To  accomnlish  this,  the  link  with 
the  double  eccentric  is  the  one  most  generally  used, 


102 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


although  various  other  devices  are  used  with  more  or 
less  success.  As  they  all  accomplish  the  same  pur- 
pose it  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  discuss  the  merits  or 
demerits  of  either. 

The  main  object  is  to  enable  the  operator  to  run  his 
engine  either  backward  or  forward  at  will,  but  the  link 
is  also  a great  source  of  economy,  as  it  enables  the  en- 
gineer to  use  the  steam  more  or  less  expansively,  as 
he  may  use  more  or  less  power,  and,  especially  is  this 
true,  while  the  engine  is  on  the  road,  as  the  power  re- 
quired may  vary  in  going  a short  distance,  anywhere 
from  nothing  in  going  down  hill,  to  the  full  power  of 
your  engine  in  going  up. 

By  using  steam  expansively,  we  mean  the  cutting 
off  of  the  steam  from  the  cylinder,  when  the  piston 
has  traveled  a certain  part  of  its  stroke.  The  earlier 
in  the  stroke  this  is  accomplished  the  more  benefit 
you  get  from  the  expansive  force  of  the  steam. 

The  reverse  on  traction  engines  is  usually  arranged 
to  cut  off  at  Y\,  J4,  or  y.  To  illustrate  what  is  meant 
by  “cutting  off”  at  %,  y2,  or  we  will  suppose  the 
engine  has  a 12  inch  stroke.  The  piston  begins  its 
stroke  at  the  end  of  the  cylinder,  and  is  driven  by  live 
steam  through  an  open  port,  3 inches  or  one  quarter 
of  the  stroke,  when  the  port  is  closed  by  the  valve 
shutting  the  steam  from  the  cylinder,  and  the  piston 
is  driven  the  remaining  9 inches  of  its  stroke  by  the 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  IO3 

expansive  force  of  the  steam.  By  cutting  off  at  ^4  we 
mean  that  the  piston  is  driven  half  its  stroke,  or  6 
inches,  by  live  steam,  and  by  the  expansion  of  the 
steam  the  remaining  6 inches;  by  24  we  mean  that 
live  steam  is  used  9 inches  before  cutting  off,  and  ex- 
pansively the  remaining  3 inches  of  stroke. 

Here  is  something  for  you  to  remember : “The  ear- 
lier in  the 'stroke  you  cut  off,  the  greater  the  economy, 
but  the  less  the  power;  the  later  you  cut  off  the  less  the 
economy  and  the  greater  the  power.” 

Suppose  we  go  into  this  a little  further.  If  you  are 
carrying  100  pounds  pressure  and  cut  off  at  24>  you 
can  readily  see  the  economy  of  fuel  and  water,  for  the 
steam  is  only  allowed  to  enter  the  cylinder  during  J4 
of  its  stroke;  but  by  reason  of  this,  you  only  get  an 
average  pressure  on  the  piston  head  of  59  pounds 
throughout  the  stroke.  But  if  this  is  sufficient  to  do 
the  work,  why  not  take  advantage  of  it  and  thereby 
save  your  fuel  and  water?  Now,  with  the  same  pres- 
sure as  before,  and  cutting  off  at  J4,  you  have  an  aver- 
age pressure  on  piston  head  of  84  pounds,  a gain  of  50 
per  cent  in  economy  and  a loss  of  16  per  cent  in  power. 
Cutting  off  at  24  gives  you  an  average  pressure  of  96 
pounds  throughout  the  stroke.  A gain  on  cutting  off 
at  34  of  75  per  cent  in  economy,  and  a loss  of  nearly 
46  per  cent  in  power.  This  shows  that  the  most  avail- 
able point  at  which  to  work  steam  expansively  is  at 


104 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


Yi,  as  the  percentage  of  increase  of  power  does  not 
equal  the  percentage  of  loss  in  economy.  The  nearer 
you  bring  the  reverse  lever  to  center  of  quadrant,  the 
earlier  will  the  valve  cut  the  steam  and  the  less  will 
be  the  average  pressure,  while  the  farther  away  from 
the  center  the  latter  in  the  stroke  will  the  valve  cut  the 
steam,  and  the  greater  the  average  pressure,  and  con- 
sequently, the  greater  the  power.  We  have  seen  en- 
gineers drop  the  reverse  back  in  the  last  notch  in  order 
to  make  a hard  pull,  and  were  unable  to  tell  why  they 
did  so. 

Now,  as  far  as  doing  the  work  is  concerned,  it  is 
not  absolutely  necessary  that  you  know  this;  but  if 
you  do  know  it,  you  are  more  likely  to  profit  by  it  and 
thereby  get  the  best  results  out  of  your  engine.  And 
as  this  is  our  object,  we  want  you  to  know  it,  and  be 
benefitted  by  the  knowledge.  Suppose  you  are  on 
the  road  with  your  engine  and  load,  and  you  have  a 
stretch  of  nice  road.  You  are  carrying  a good  head 
of  steam  and  running  with  lever  back  in  the  corner  or 
lower  notch.  Now  your  engine  will  travel  along  at  its 
regular  speed,  and  say  you  run  a mile  this  way  and 
fire  twice  in  making  it.  You  now  ought  to  be  able  to 
turn  around  and  go  back  over  the  same  road  with  one 
fire  by  simply  hooking  the  lever  up  as  short  as  it  will 
allow  to  do  the  work.  Your  envine  will  make  the 
same  time  with  half  the  fuel  and  water,  simolv  h<M**vse 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  IO5 

you  utilize  the  expansive  force  of  the  steam  instead  of 
using  the  live  steam  from  the  boiler.  A great  many 
good  engines  are  condemned  and  said  to  use  too  much 
fuel,  and  all  because  the  engineer  takes  no  pains  to 
utilize  the  steam  to  the  best  advantage. 

I have  already  advised  you  to  carry  a “high  pressure;” 
by  a high  pressure  I mean  anywhere  from  ioo  to 
125  lbs.  I have  done  this  expecting  you  to  use  the  steam 
expansively  whenever  possible,  and  the  expansive 
force  of  steam  increases  very  rapidly  after  you  have 
reached  70  lbs.  Steam  at  80  lbs.  used  expansively 
will  do  nine  times  the  work  of  steam  at  25  lbs. 
Note  the  difference.  Pressure  3 1-5  times  greater. 
Work  performed,  9 times  greater.  I give  you 
these  facts  trusting  that  you  will  take  advantage  of 
them,  and  if  your  engine  at  100  or  no  lbs.  will  do 
your  work  cutting  off  at  J4,  don’t  allow  it  to  cut  off  at 
y2.  If  cutting  off  at  will  do  the  work,  don’t  allow 
it  to  cut  off  at  24,  and  the  result  will  be  that  you  will 
do  the  work  with  the  least  posible  amount  of  fuel, 
and  no  one  will  have  any  reason  to  find  fault  with  you 
or  your  engine. 

Now  we  have  given  you  the  three  points  which  are 
absolutely  necessary  to  the  successful  handling  of  a 
traction  engine.  We  went  through  it  with  you  when 
running  as  a stationary;  then  we  gave  you  the  point- 
ers to  be  observed  when  running  as  a traction  or  road 


io6 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


engine.  We  have  also  given  you  hints  on  economy, 
and  if  you  do  not  already  know  too  much  to  follow 
our  advice,  you  can  go  into  the  field  with  an  engine 
and  have  no  fears  as  to  the  results. 

How  about  bad  bridges? 

Well,  a bad  bridge  is  a bad  thing,  and  you  cannot 
be  too  careful.  When  you  have  questionable  bridges 
to  cross  over,  you  should  provide  yourself  with  good 
hard  wood  planks.  If  you  can  have  them  sawed  to 
order  have  them  3 inches  in  the  center  and  tapering 
to  2 inches  at  the  ends.  You  should  have  two  of 
these  about  16  feet  long,  and  two  2x12  planks  about  8 
feet  long.  The  short  ones  for  culverts,  and  for  helping 
with  the  longer  ones  in  crossing  longer  bridges. 

An  engine  should  never  be  allowed  to  drop  from  a 
set  of  planks  down  onto  the  floor  of  the  bridge.  This 
is  why  I advocate  four  planks.  Don’t  hesitate  to  use 
the  plank.  You  had  better  plank  a dozen  bridges 
that  don’t  need  it  than  to  attempt  to  cross  one  that 
does  need  it.  You  will  also  find  it  very  convenient  to 
carry  at  least  50  feet  of  good  heavy  rope.  Don’t 
attempt  to  pull  across  a doubtful  bridge  with  the 
separator  or  tank  hooked  directly  to  the  engine.  It  is 
dangerous.  Here  is  where  you  want  the  rope.  An 
engine  should  be  run  across  a bad  bridge  very  slowly 
and  carefully,  and  not  allowed  to  jerk.  In  extreme 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  IO7 

cases  it  is  better  to  run  across  by  hand ; don’t  do  this  more 
than  once;  get  after  the  road  supervisors. 

SAND 

An  engineer  wants  a sufficient  amount  of  “sand,” 
but  he  don’t  want  it  in  the  road.  However,  you  will 
find  it  there  and  it  is  the  meanest  road  you  will  have 
to  travel.  A bad  sand  road  requires  considerable 
slight  of  hand  on  the  part  of  the  engineer  if  he  wishes 
to  pull  much  of  a load  through  it.  You  will  find  it  to 
your  advantage  to  keep  your  engine  as  straight  as 
possible,  as  you  are  not  so  liable  to  start  one  wheel  to 
slipping  any  sooner  than  the  other.  Never  attempt  to 
“wiggle”  through  a sand  bar,  and  don’t  try  to  hurry 
through;  be  satisfied  with  going  slow;  just  so  you  are 
going.  An  engine  will  stand  a certain  speed  through 
sand,  and  the  moment  you  attempt  to  increase  that 
speed,  you  break  its  footing,  and  then  you  are  gone. 
In  a case  of  this  kind  a few  bundles  of  hay  is  about 
the  best  thing  you  can  use  under  your  drivers  in  order 
to  get  started  again.  But  don’t  lose  your  temper;  it 
won’t  help  the  sand  any. 

Now  no  doubt  the  reader  wonders  why  I have  said 
nothing  about  compound  engines.  Well  in  the  first 
place,  it  is  not  necessary  to  assist  you  in  your  work, 
and  if  you  can  handle  the  single  cylinder  engine,  you 
can  handle  the  compound. 

8 


io8 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


The  question  as  to  the  advantage  of  a compound 
engine  is,  or  would  be  an  interesting  one  if  we  cared 
to  discuss  it. 

The  compound  traction  engine  has  come  into  use 
wdthin  the  past  few  years,  and  I am  inclined  to  think 
more  for  a sort  of  a novelty  or  talking  point  rather  than 
to  produce  a better  engine.  There  is  no  question  but 
that  there  is  a great  advantage  in  the  compound 
engine  for  stationary  and  marine  engines. 

In  a compound  engine  the  steam  first  enters  the 
small  or  high  pressure  cylinder  and  is  then  exhausted 
into  the  larger  or  low  pressure  cylinder,  where  the  expan- 
sive force  is  all  obtained. 

Two  cylinders  are  used  because  we  can  get  better 
results  from  high  pressure  in  the  use  of  two  cylinders 
of  different  areas  than  by  using  but  one  cylinder,  or 
simple  engine. 

That  there  is  a gain  in  a high  pressure,  can  be  shown 
very  easily: 

For  instance,  ioo  pounds  of  coal  will  raise  a certain 
amount  of  water  from  60  degrees,  to  5 pounds  steam 
pressure,  and  102.9  pounds  would  raise  the  same 
water  to  80  pounds,  and  104.4  would  raise  it  to  160 
pounds,  and  this  160  pounds  would  produce  a large 
increase  of  power  over  the  80  pounds  at  a very  slight 
increase  of  fuel.  The  compound  engine  will  furnish 
the  same  number  of  horse  power,  with  less  fuel  than 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


109 


the  simple  engine,  but  only  when  they  are  run  at  the 
full  load  all  the  time. 

If,  however,  the  load  fluctuates  and  should  the  load 
be  light  for  any  considerable  part  of  the  day,  they 
will  waste  the  fuel  instead  of  saving  it  as  compared  with 
the  simple  engine. 

No  engine  can  be  subjected  to  more  variation  of 
loads  than  the  traction  engine,  and  as  the  above  are 
facts  the  reader  can  draw  his  own  conclusions. 

FRICTION  CLUTCH 

The  friction  clutch  is  now  used  almost  exclusively 
for  engaging  the  engine  with  the  propelling  gearing 
of  the  traction  drivers,  and  it  will  most  likely  give 
you  more  trouble  than  any  one  thing  on  your  engine, 
from  the  fact  that  to  be  satisfactory  they  require  a 
nicety  of  adjustment  that  is  very  difficult  to  attain,  a 
half  turn  of  the  expansion  bolt  one  way  or  the  other 
may  make  your  clutch  work  very  nicely,  or  very  un- 
satisfactory, and  you  can  only  learn  this  by  carefully 
adjusting  the  friction  shoes,  until  you  learn  just  how 
much  clearance  they  will  stand  when  the  lever  is  out, 
in  order  to  hold  sufficcient  when  the  lever  is  thrown  in. 
If  your  clutch  fails  to  hold,  or  sticks,  it  is  not  the 
fault  of  the  clutch,  it  is  not  adjusted  properly.  And 
you  may  have  it  correct  today  and  tomorrow  it  will 
need  readjustment,  caused  by  the  wear  in  the  shoes; 


I IO 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


you  will  have  to  learn  the  clutch  by  patience  and 
experience. 

But  I want  to  say  to  you  that  the  friction  clutch  is 
a source  of  abuse  by  many  an  engineer,  because  the  en- 
gineer uses  no  judgement  in  its  use. 

A certain  writer  on  engineering  makes  use  of  the 
following,  and  gives  me  credit:  “Sometimes  you  may 
come  to  an  obstacle  in  the  road,  over  which  your 
engines  refuses  to  go,  you  may  perhaps  get  over  it  in 
this  way,  throw  the  clutch-lever  so  as  to  disconnect 
the  road  wheels,  let  the  engine  get  up  to  full  speed 
and  then  throw  the  clutch-lever  back  so  as  to  connect 
the  road  wheels.”  Now  I don’t  thank  anyone  for 
giving  me  credit  for  saying  any  such  thing.  That 
kind  of  thing  is  the  height  of  abuse  of  an  engine. 

I am  aware  that  when  the  friction  clutch  first  came 
into  use,  its  representatives  made  a great  talk  on 
that  sort  of  thing  to  the  green  buyer.  But  the  good 
engineer  knows  better  than  to  treat  his  engine  that 
way. 

Never  attempt  to  pull  your  loads  over  a steep  hill 
- without  being  certain  that  your  clutch  is  in  good 
shape,  and  if  you  have  any  doubts  about  it  put  in  the 
tight  gear  pin.  Most  all  engines  have  both  the  fric- 
tion and  the  tight  gear  pin.  The  pin  is  much  the 
safer  in  a hilly  country,  and  if  you  have  learned  the 
secret  of  the  throttle  you  can  handle  just  as  big  loads 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


III 


with  the  pin  as  with  the  clutch,  and  will  never  tear 
your  gearing  off  or  loosen  the  stud  bolts  in  the  boiler. 
Now  you  will  have  noticed  that  I lay  no  small  stress 
in  the  handling  of  the  throttle. 

I wish  I could  step  up  on  the  foot  board  with  every 
reader  of  this  book  who  really  wants  to  be  an  expert 
with  an  engine. 

I have  already  stated  that  a good  way  to  know  how 
to  do  a thing  is  to  know  how  not  to  do  it.  A few  days 
ago  I saw  an  engineer  (who  to  my  own  knowledge 
had  run  his  engine  ten  years),  step  up  on  the  foot 
board  to  back  his  engine  up  a few  feet  to  hook  onto 
the  separator.  Now  it  was  a straight  back,  no  neces- 
sity for  touching  the  steering  wheel.  The  engine  how- 
ever was  on  the  wrong  quarter  to  back.  So  this 
expert  (?)  took  hold  of  the  steering  wheel  with  his  right 
hand,  reversed  the  engine  with  his  left  hand,  shifted 
his  left  to  the  trottle,  and  by  this  time  the  engine 
had  turned  to  the  wrong  quarter  and  it  was  again 
necessary  to  reverse  the  engine.  Back  went  his  left 
hand  to  the  reverse,  threw  it  over,  and  shifted  his  left  to 
the  throttle  again.  He  repeated  this  move  four  times 
before  he  moved  his  engine  back,  and  all  the  time  hold- 
ing onto  the  steering  wheel  with  his  right  hand  as  though 
it  might  get  away. 

Now  that  is  the  way  not  to  do  it.  As  I stated  it 
was  a straight  back.  The  steering  wheel  needed  no 


II 2 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


attention,  and  he  knew  it.  The  way  this  particular 
engine  was  arranged  the  natural  position  was  to  take 
hold  of  the  reverse  lever  with  his  left  hand  and  the 
throttle  with  his  right.  This  move  would  have  enabled 
him  to  open  the  throttle  just  a fraction  of  a second  after 
he  had  reversed  and  his  engine  would  have  moved  back 
under  perfect  control,  provided  he  handled  his  throttle 
as  he  should.  You  of  course  want  to  know  how  he 
should  have  handled  it.  Well,  as  he  only  wished  to 
back  a few  feet,  he  should  have  opened  the  throttle 
wide,  and  before  the  engine  had  made  a complete 
turn  shut  it  off  entirely.  The  expansive  force  of  the 
steam  in  the  cylinder  steam  chest  and  supply  pipe 
would  have  carried  him  back  a couple  of  feet,  and  an- 
other movement  of  the  same  kind  would  have  given 
his  engine  a few  more  turns.  Besides  this  position 
enables  you  to  reverse  your  engine  instantly,  if  neces- 
sary. You  will  see  I advocate  making  the  steering  wheel 
a secondary  matter  or  consideration.  If  you  have 
perfect  control  over  your  reverse  and  throttle  the  steer- 
ing wheel  will  never  get  you  into  trouble.  You  can  cer- 
tainly see  the  point  in  this. 

But  suppose  your  engine  is  cramped  and  you  only 
have  a limited  distance  to  go  ahead  or  back,  and  you 
wish  to  straighten  up  your  engine.  First  see  that 
your  engine  is  in  the  position  to  go  ahead  or  back  as 
you  desire.  Take  hold  of  the  steering  wheel,  and  with 


llUMELY  ENGINE 

The  Kumely  name  has  been  before  the  American  threshermen  and 
farmers  fifty-seven  years.  It  is  therefore  hardly  necessary  to  introduce 
this  as  the  Rumely  Threshing  Engine. 

See  their  Plowing  Engine  on  another  page  and  article  on  Standard 
Engines,  Page  119. 


A RUMELY  PLOWING  ENGINE 

The  Rumely  plowing  engine  is  built  to  get  the  maximum  draw-bar 
pull  from  every  pound  of  coal  and  water  used,  and  they  get  it. 

The  factory  is  at  La  Porte,  Ind.,  where  they  build  a complete  line. 
They  will  also  soon  be  heard  from  in  the  Gasoline  line. 

See  their  Threshing  Engine  on  a preceding  page  and  article  on  Standard 
Engines,  Page  119. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  II3 

the  other  hand  give  the  engine  a wide  open  throttle, 
then  close  it,  and  at  the  same  time  turn  the  steering 
wheel  as  rapidly  as  possible.  When  your  engine  has 
made  a few  turns  repeat  the  operation  of  opening  and 
closing  the  throttle.  This  is  the  only  way  to  move  a 
traction  engine  slowly,  and  by  doing  so  you  are  not  going 
to  bang  into  something  or  hurt  anyone.  Now  this  is 
for  a stiff  or  tight  geared  engine.  If  you  are  using 
the  clutch  you  will  handle  your  engine  differently.  If 
your  clutch  is  in  good  shape  and  will  not  stick  when 
you  want  it  to  let  loose,  and  will  not  let  loose  when  you 
want  it  to  hold  you  can  do  very  differently  from  what  I 
have  just  advised.  We  will  say  that  your  clutch  is  in  good 
shape.  You  would  step  on  your  engine  and  take  hold 
as  before,  that  is,  reverse  with  one  hand  and  throttle  with 
the  other,  and  after  starting  your  engine  in  the  proper 
direction  you  can  shift  one  hand  to  the  steering  wheel 
and  the  other  to  the  clutch  lever.  But  unless  you  have 
perfect  faith  in  your  clutch  you  had  best  treat  your  en- 
gine as  if  it  was  a stiff  gear,  and  handle  it  as  I have 
already  suggested.  If  you  do  you  will  not  back 
into  anything  or  pinch  anyone’s  fingers. 

Under  any  circumstances  don’t  try  to  handle  both 
the  reverse  and  the  throttle  with  one  hand  unless  you 
have  but  one,  and  by  the  way,  the  writer  knows  a 
couple  of  good  engineers  with  but  one  arm,  and  this 


1 14  ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 

fact  ought  to  encourage  you  who  have  two  arms  to 
handle  your  engine  to  perfection. 

The  double  or  two  cylinder  engine  is  becoming 
more  general  and  while  I have  been  careful  not  to 
recommend  or  condemn  any  particular  type  of  engine, 
I will  say  that  a naturally  awkward  engineer  can  make 
a much  more  respectable  showing  with  the  double  en- 
gine, but  the  expert  or  clever  engineer  can  show  his 
ability  and  skill  to  much  better  advantage  with  the 
single  engine. 

Now  you  will  find  somewhere  in  this  book  that  I 

make  use  of  these  words:  “A  good horse  power 

engine,  or  a horse  power  engine  in  good  condi- 

tion” will  do  certain  work. 

Now  what  is  meant  by  an  engine  in  good  condi- 
tion f 

In  the  first  place  an  engine  to  be  in  good  condition 
must  have  a clean  boiler.  The  valve  must  be  set,  so 
as  to  admit  an  equal  amount  of  steam  at  either  end  of 
the  cylinder.  It  must  not  blow  over,  I mean  by  this 
that  the  valve  and  seat  must  present  a perfect  steam 
fitting  surface  otherwise  the  steam  will  “blow  over” 
or  pass  between  the  valve  and  seat,  escaping  through 
the  exhaust  and  your  boiler  will  require  too  much  wa- 
ter and  fuel. 

The  rings  must  fit  snug  and  close,  to  prevent  “blow- 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  1 1 5 

ing  through.”  By  blowing  through  is  meant  steam 
passing  between  the  piston  rings  and  cylinder. 

This  is  a great  source  of  weakness,  besides  a great 
loss  of  steam. 

With  the  packing  properly  looked  after,  all  bearings 
in  good  shape,  you  can  consider  your  engine  in  “good 
condition.”  And  when  you  experience  any  trouble 
in  pulling  your  load,  or  keeping  up  steam  with  an  en- 
gine that  in  the  past  was  satisfactory  you  will  find  the 
trouble  in  some  of  the  places  I have  mentioned. 

TRANSMISSION  OF  POWER 

The  following  may  assist  you  in  determining  or  ar- 
riving at  some  idea  of  the  amount  of  power  you  are 
supplying  with  your  engine. 

For  instance,  a i inch  belt  of  the  standard  grade 
with  the  proper  tension,  neither  too  tight  nor  too  loose, 
running  at  a maximum  speed  of  800  ft.  a minute  will 
transmit  one  horse  power;  running  1600  ft.,  2 horse 
power,  and  2400  ft.,  3 horse  power.  A 2 inch  belt,  at 
the  same  speed,  twice  the  power. 

Now  if  you  know  the  circumference  of  your  fly 
wheel,  the  number  of  revolutions  your  engine  is  mak- 
ing and  the  width  of  belt,  you  can  figure  very  nearly 
the  amount  of  power  you  can  supply  without  slipping 
your  belt.  For  instance,  we  will  say  your  fly  wheel  is 
40  inches  in  diameter  or  10.5  feet  nearly  in  circumfer- 


Il6  ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 

ence  and  your  engine  is  running  225  revolutions  a 
minute;  your  belt  will  be  traveling  225x10.5  feett= 
2362.5  feet,  or  very  nearly  2400  ft.,  and  if  1 inch  of  belt 
would  transmit  3 horse  power  running  at  this  speed,  a 6 
inch  belt  will  transmit  18  horse  power;  a 7 inch  belt, 
21  horse  power;  an  8 inch  belt  24  horse  power,  and  so 
on.  With  the  above  as  a basis  for  figuring  you  can 
satisfy  yourself  as  to  the  power  you  are  furnishing. 
To  get  the  best  results  a belt  ought  to  sag  slightly  as 
it  hugs  the  pulley  closer,  and  will  last  much  longer. 

SOMTHING  ABOUT  SIGHT-FEED  LUBRICATORS 

All  such  lubricators  feed  oil  through  the  drop-nipple 
by  hydrostatic  pressure;  that  is,  the  water  of  condensa- 
tion in  the  condenser  and  its  pipe  being  elevated  above 
the  oil  magazine  forces  the  oil  out  of  the  latter  by  just 
so  much  pressure  as  the  column  of  water  is  higher  than 
the  exit  or  outlook  of  oil-nipple.  The  higher  the  column 
of  water  the  more  positive  will  be  the  oil  feed.  As  soon  as 
the  oil  drop  leaves  the  nipple  it  ceases  to  be  actuated 
by  the  hydrostatic  pressure,  and  rises  through  the  water 
in  the  sight-glass  merely  by  the  difference  of  its  specific 
gravity,  as  compared  with  water,  and  then  passes  off 
through  the  ducts  provided  to  the  parts  to  be  lubricated. 

For  stationary  engines  the  double  connection  is  pre- 
ferable, and  should  always  be  connected  to  the  live 
steam  pipe  above  the  throttle.  The  discharge  arm 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


IXZ 


should  always  be  long  enough  (4  to  6 inches)  to  in- 
sure the  oil  magazine  and  condenser  from  getting  too 
hot,  otherwise  it  will  not  condense  fast  enough  to  give  a 
continuous  feed  of  oil.  For  traction  or  road  engines 
the  single  connection  is  used.  These  can  be  connected 
to  live  steam  pipe  or  directly  to  the  steam  chest. 

In  a general  way  it  may  be  stated  that  certain  pre- 
cautions must  be  taken  to  insure  the  satisfactory  oper- 
ation of  all  sight-feed  lubricators.  Use  only  the  best 
of  oil,  one  gallon  of  which  is  worth  five  gallons  of 
cheap  stuff  and  do  far  better  service,  as  inferior 
grades  not  only  clog  the  lubricator  but  choke  the 
ducts  and  blur  the  sight-glass,  etc.,  and  the  refuse 
of  such  oil  will  accumulate  in  the  cylinder  suf- 
ficiently to  cause  damage  and  loss  of  power,  far  ex- 
ceeding the  difference  in  cost  of  good  oil  over  the 
cheap  grades. 

After  attaching  a lubricator,  all  valves  should  be 
opened  wide  and  live  steam  blown  through  the  outer 
vents  for  a few  minutes  to  insure  that  the  openings  are 
clean  and  free.  Then  follow  the  usual  directions  given 
with  all  lubricators.  Be  particular  in  getting  your  lubrica- 
tor attached  so  it  will  stand  perfectly  plumb,  in  order 
that  the  drop  can  pass  up  through  the  glass  without 
touching  the  sides,  keep  the  drop-nipple  clean,  and  be 
particular  to  drain  in  cold  weather. 

Now,  I am  about  to  leave  you  alone  with  your  en- 


n8 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


gine,  just  as  I have  left  any  number  of  young  en- 
gineers after  spending  a day  with  them  in  the  field  and 
on  the  road.  And  I never  left  one  that  I had  not  al- 
ready made  up  my  mind  fully  as  to  what  kind  of  an 
engineer  he  would  make. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


119 


STANDARD  ENGINES 

I possibly  have  received  more  letters  than  there  are 
pages  in  this  book  asking  my  opinion  concerning  cer- 
tain makes  of  engines. 

These  letters  contained  such  questions  as:  "Which 

do  you  consider  the  best  engine?”  "What  would  you 
advise  me  to  buy?”  etc. 

Now  I could  not  in  justice  to  builders  of  standard 
engines  answer  any  of  these  letters.  Suppose  I should 
have  been  interested  in  some  one  engine,  I was  there- 
fore in  shape  to  take  an  unfair  advantage  of  these  in- 
quiries which  were  written  in  good  faith  and  were  en- 
titled to  an  answer,  but  as  stated  above,  I could  not 
in  justice  to  all  parties  concerned  answer  any  of  them. 
I have  therefore  anticipated  these  letters,  and  through 
the  kindness  of  the  makers  of  a number  of  standard 
engines  am  able  to  show  them  in  this  edition.  And  I 
can  now  answer  these  letters  by  saying  to  the  readers 
of  "Rough  and  Tumble,”  that  while  there  are  some 
standard  engines  that  do  not  appear  in  this  book,  there 
are  none  to  be  found  here  that  are  not  standard  and 
up-to-date  and  if  you  are  tempted  to  write  and  ask 


120 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


my  opinion  on  any  particular  engine,  don’t  do  it,  but 
take  it  for  granted  that  any  one  of  the  engines  shown, 
if  treated  and  handled  as  I have  endeavored  to  show 
you  how  to  treat  and  handle  an  engine,  will  do  and  be 
what  the  maker  claims  for  it;  and  if  you  buy,  or  are 
employed  to  run  any  one  of  them,  you  will  have  as 
good  as  the  best,  and  don’t  forget  this:  That  when 

you  hear  an  engineer  condemning  a standard  engine 
or  finding  fault  with  its  construction  you  will  find  that 
he  is  neither  an  engineer  nor  a mechanic. 

It  is  true  there  are  some  good  engineers  who  im- 
agine they  can  build  a better  engine  than  the  ones  they 
run.  Now  this  thinking  so  could  do  no  harm  either 
to  the  builders  of  the  engine  or  himself,  if  he  did  not 
talk  it  on  all  occasions,  for  by  so  doing  he  hurts  the 
reputation  of  the  engine  among  those  who  are  not 
posted  on  engines,  and  he  hurts  his  own  standing  as 
an  engineer  among  those  who  know  what  a good  en- 
gine is. 

This  is  only  another  way  of  saying  to  you,  don’t 
talk  too  much.  If  you  have  any  spare  time  work  off 
your  surplus  energy'  behind  a chunk  of  waste,  your  en- 
gine will  look  better  for  it,  and  your  reputation  as  an 
engineer  will  go  up  two  points,  while  the  same  time  put 
in  talking  would  have  let  you  down  a few  points.  You 
would  have  saved  the  waste,  but  had  a dirty  engine.  I 
have  seen  a good  engineer  have  a dirty,  greasy  en- 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


121 


gine.  But  I never  saw  a nice  bright  and  clean  engine 
have  a poor  engineer. 

Now  if  you  are  going  to  buy  an  engine  buy  a stand- 
ard, large  enough  to  do  your  work,  take  some  pride 
in  it,  keep  it  up  in  shape  and  you  will  never  regret 
your  choice  or  have  any  fault  to  find  with  the  people 
who  built  it. 


122 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


PART  SEVEN. 

TWO  WAYS  OF  READING 

Now  there  are  two  ways  to  read  this  book,  and  if  I 
knew  just  how  you  had  read  it  I could  tell  you  in  a 
minute  whether  to  take  hold  of  an  engine  or  leave  it 
alone.  If  you  have  read  it  one  way,  you  are  most 
likely  to  say,  “It  is  no  trick  to  run  an  engine If 
you  have  read  it  the  other  way  you  will  say,  “It  is  no 
trouble  to  learn  how  to  run  an  engine.”  Now  this 
fellow  will  make  an  engineer,  and  will  be  a good  one. 
He  has  read  it  carefully,  noting  the  drift  of  my  ad- 
vice. Has  discovered  that  the  engineer  is  not  ex- 
pected to  build  an  engine,  or  to  improve  it  after  it  has 
been  built.  He  has  recognized  the  fact  that  the  principal 
thing  is  to  attend  to  his  own  business  and  let  other 
people  attend  to  theirs,  and  that  a monkey  wrench  is  a 
tool  to  be  left  in  the  tool  box  till  he  knows  he  needs 
it;  that  muscle  is  a good  thing  to  have  but  not  ne- 
cessary to  the  successful  engineer;  that  an  engineer 
with  a bunch  of  waste  in  his  hand  is  a better  recom- 
mendation than  an  “engineer’s  license;”  that  good 
common  sense  and  a cool  head  is  the  very  best  tools 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


123 


he  can  have.  He  has  learned  that  carelessness  will  get 
him  into  trouble,  and  that  to  “forget”  costs  money. 

Now  the  fellow  who  said,  “It  is  no  trick  to  run  an 
engine,”  read  this  book  another  way.  He  did  not  see 
the  little  points.  He  was  hunting  for  big  theories, 
scientific  theories,  something  he  could  not  understand, 
and  didn't  find  them.  He  expected  to  find  some 
bright  scheme  to  prevent  a boiler  from  exploding, 
and  didn’t  notice  the  simple  little  statement,  “keep  water 
in  it,”  that  was  too  commonplace  to  notice.  He  was 
looking  for  cuts,  diagrams,  geometrical  figures,  theo- 
ries for  constructing  engines  and  boilers  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing  and  didn’t  find  them.  Hence  “It  is  no 
trick  to  run  an  engine.” 

If  this  has  been  your  idea  of  “Rough  and  Tumble 
Engineering”  forget  all  about  your  theory,  and  go 
back  and  read  it  over  and  remember  the  little  sugges- 
tions and  don’t  expect  this  book  to  teach  you  how  to 
build  an  engine.  We  didn’t  start  out  to  teach  you 
anything  of  the  kind.  That  is  a business  of  itself.  A 
good  engineer  gets  better  money  than  the  man  who 
builds  them.  Read  it  as  if  you  wanted  to  know  how, 
to  run  an  engine  and  not  how  to  build  one. 

Study  the  following  questions  and  answers  carefully. 
Don’t  learn  them  like  you  would  a piece  of  poetry, 
but  study  them,  see  of  they  are  practical:  make  your- 
self thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  rule  of  measuring 


124 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


the  horse-power  of  an  engine;  make  yourself  so  fam- 
iliar with  it  that  you  could  figure  any  engine  without 
referring  to  the  book.  Don’t  stop  at  this,  learn  to 
figure  the  heating  surface  in  any  boiler.  It  will  en- 
able you  to  satisfy  yourself  whether  you  are  working 
your  boiler  or  engine  too  hard  or  what  it  ought  to  be 
capable  of  doing. 

SOME  THINGS  TO  KNOW 

Q.  What  is  fire? 

A.  Fire  is  the  rapid  combustion  or  cunsuming  of 
organic  matter. 

Q.  What  is  water? 

A.  Water  is  a compound  of  oxygen  and  hydrogen. 
In  weight  88  9-10  parts  oxygen  to  11  1-10  hydrogen. 
It  has  its  maximum  density  at  39  degrees  Fahr.. 
changes  to  steam  at  212  degrees,  and  to  ice  at  32  de- 
grees. 

O.  What  is  smoke? 

A.  It  is  unconsumed  carbon,  finely  divided,  escap- 
ing into  open  air. 

Q.  Is  excessive  smoke  a waste  of  fuel  ? 

A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  will  you  prevent  it? 

A.  Keep  a thin  fire,  and  admit  cold  air  sufficient 
to  insure  perfect  combustion. 

Q.  What  is  low  water  as  applied  to  a boiler  ? 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


125 


A.  It  is  when  the  water  is  insufficient  to  cover  all 
parts  exposed  to  the  flames. 

Q.  What  is  the  first  thing  to  do  on  discovering  that 
you  have  low  water? 

A.  Pull  out  the  fire. 

Q.  Would  it  be  safe  to  open  the  safety  valve  at 
such  time? 

A.  No. 

Q.  Why  not? 

A.  It  would  relieve  the  pressure  on  the  water  which 
being  allowed  to  flow  over  the  excessive  hot  iron  would 
flash  into  steam,  and  might  cause  an  explosion. 

Q.  Why  do  boilers  sometimes  explode  just  on  the 
point  of  starting  the  engine? 

A.  Because  starting  the  engine  has  the  same  effect 
as  opening  the  safety  valve. 

Q.  Are  there  any  circumstances  under  which  an  en- 
gineer is  justified  in  allowing  the  water  to  get  low? 

A.  No. 

Q.  Why  do  they  sometimes  do  it? 

A.  From  carelessness  or  ignorance. 

Q.  May  not  an  engineer  be  deceived  in  the  guage 
- of  water? 

A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  he  to  be  blamed  under  such  circumstances 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Why? 


126 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


A.  Because  if  he  is  deceived  by  it,,  it  shows  he  has 
neglected  something. 

Q.  What  is  meant  by  “Priming?” 

A.  It  is  the  passing  of  water  in  visible  quantities 
into  the  cylinder  with  the  steam. 

Q.  What  would  you  consider  the  first  duty  of  an 
engineer  on  discovering  that  the  water  was  foaming  or 
priming? 

A.  Open  the  cylinder  cocks  at  once,  and  throttle 
the  steam. 

Q.  Why  would  you  do  this? 

A.  Open  the  cocks  to  enable  the  water  to  escape, 
and  throttle  the  steam  so  that  the  water  would  settle. 

Q.  Is  foaming  the  same  as  priming? 

A.  Yes  and  no. 

Q.  How  do  you  make  that  out? 

A.  A boiler  may  foam  without  priming,  but  it  can't 
prime  without  first  foaming. 

Q.  Where  will  you  first  discover  that  the  water  is 
foaming? 

A.  It  will  appear  in  the  glass  guage,  the  glass  will 
have  a milky  appearance  and  the  water  will  seem  to  be 
running  down  from  the  top.  There  will  be  a snapping 
or  cracking  in  the  cylinder  as  quick  as  priming  begins. 

Q.  What  causes  a boiler  to  foam? 

A'.  There  are  a number  of  causes.  It  may  come 
from  faulty  construction  of  the  boiler : it  may  have  insuf- 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


127 


ficient  steam  room.  It  may  be,  and  usually  is,  from 
the  use  of  bad  water,  muddy  or  stagnant  water,  or  water 
containing  any  soapy  substance. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  after  being  bothered  in  this 
way? 

A.  Clean  out  the  boiler  and  get  better  water  if  pos- 
sible. 

Q.  How  would  you  manage  your  pumps  while  the 
water  was  foaming? 

A.  Keep  them  running  full. 

Q.  Why? 

A.  In  order  to  make  up  for  the  extra  amount  of 
water 'going  out  with  the  steam. 

O.  What  is  “cushion?’’ 

A.  Cushion  is  steam  retained  or  admitted  in  front 
of  the  piston  head  at  the  finish  of  stroke  or  when  the 
engine  is  on  “center.”  , 

Q.  What  is  it  for? 

A.  It  helps  to  overcome  the  “inertia”  and  momen- 
tum of  the  reciprocating  parts  of  the  engine,  and  en- 
ables the  engine  to  pass  the  center  without  a jar. 

Q How  would  you  increase  the  cushion  in  an  en- 
gine? 

A.  By  increasing  the  lead. 

Q.  What  is  lead? 

A.  It  is  the  amount  of  opening  the  port  shows  on  the 


128 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


steam  end  of  the  cylinder  when  the  engine  is  on  dead 
center. 

Q.  Is  there  any  rule  for  giving  an  engine  the  proper 
lead? 

A.  No. 

Q.  Why  not  ? 

A.  Owing  to  their  variation  in  construction,  speed, 
etc. 

Q.  What  would  you  consider  the  proper  amount  of 
lead,  generally? 

A.  From  & to  * of  an  inch. 

Q.  What  is  lap? 

A.  It  is  the  distance  the  valve  overlaps  the  steam 
ports  when  in  mid  position. 

Q.  What  is  lap  for? 

A.  In  order  that  the  steam  may  be  worked  expan- 
sively. 

Q.  When  does  expansion  occur  in  a cylinder  ? 

A.  During  the  time  between  which  the  port  closes 
and  the  point  at  which  the  exhaust  opens. 

Q.  What  would  be  the  effect  on  an  engine  if  the 
exhaust  opened  too  soon? 

A.  It  would  greatly  lessen  the  power  of  the  engine. 

Q.  What  effect  would  too  much  lead  have? 

A.  It  would  also  weaken  the  engine,  as  the  steam 
would  enter  before  the  piston  had  reached  the  end  of 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  1J9 

the  stroke,  and  would  tend  to  prevent  it  passing  the 
center. 

Q.  What  is  the  stroke  of  an  engine? 

A.  It  is  the  distance  the  piston  travels  in  the  cyl- 
inder. 

Q.  How  do  you  find  the  speed  of  a piston  per  min- 
ute? 

A.  Double  the  stroke  and  multiply  it  by  the  num- 
ber of  revolutions  a minute.  Thus  an  engine  with  a 
12-inch  stroke  would  travel  24  inches,  or  2 feet,  at  a 
revolution.  If  it  made  200  revolutions  a minute,  the 
travel  of  piston  would  be  400  feet  a minute. 

Q.  What  is  considered  a horse  power  as  applied  to 
an  engine. 

A.  It  is  power  sufficient  to  lift  33,000  pounds  one 
foot  high  in  one  minute. 

Q.  What  is  the  indicated  horse  power  of  an  en- 
gine? 

A.  It  is  the  actual  work  done  by  the  steam  in  the 
cylinder  as  shown  by  an  indicator. 

Q.  What  is  the  actual  horse  power? 

A.  It  is  the  power  actually  given  off  by  the  driv- 
ing belt  and  pulley. 

Q.  How  would  you  find  the  horse  power  of  an  en- 
gine ? 

A.  Multiply  the  area  of  the  piston  by  the  average 
pressure,  less  5 ; multiply  this  product  by  the  number  of 


130 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


feet  the  piston  travels  per  minute;  divide  the  product  by 
33,000;  the  result  will  be  the  horse  power  of  the  engine. 

Q.  How  will  you  find  the  area  of  piston? 

A.  Square  the  diameter  of  piston  and  multiply  it  by 

7854- 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  squaring  the  diameter  ? 

A.  Multiplying  it  by  itself.  If  a cylinder  is  6 inches 
in  diameter,  36  multiplied  by  7854,  gives  the  area  in 
square  inches. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  average  pressure? 

A.  If  the  pressure  on  boiler  is  60  pounds,  and  the 
engine  is  cutting  off  at  stroke,  the  pressure  for  the  full 
stroke  would  be  50  pounds. 

Q.  Why  do  you  say  less  5 pounds  ? 

A.  To  allow  for  friction  and  condensation. 

Q.  What  is  the  power  of  a 7x10  engine,  running  200 
revolutions,  cutting  off  at  stroke  with  60  pounds  of 
steam  ? 

A.  7x7  = 49x7854  — 38.4846.  The  average  pres- 
sure of  60  pounds  would  be  50  pounds  less  5 = 45 
pounds;  38.4846x45  = 1731. 8070X.333  1-3  (the  number 
of  feet  the  piston  travels  per  minute)  = 577,269.0000 
divided  by  33,000=  17)^  horse  power. 

O.  What  is  a high  pressure  engine  ? 

A.  It  is  an  engine  using  steam  at  a high  pressure  and 
exhausting  into  the  open  air. 

Q.  What  is  a low  pressure  engine? 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  1 3 1 

A.  It  is  one  using  steam  at  a low  pressure  and  ex- 
hausting into  a condenser,  producing  a vacuum,  the  piston 
being  under  steam  pressure  on  one  side  and  vacuum  on 
the  other. 

Q.  What  class  of  engines  are  farm  engines? 

A.  They  are  high  pressure. 

O.  Why? 

A.  They  are  less  complicated  and  less  expensive. 

Q.  What  is  the  most  economical  pressure  to  carry  on 
a high  pressure  engine? 

A.  From  90  to  no  pounds. 

O.  Why  is  high  pressure  more  economical  than  low 
pressure  ? 

A.  Because  the  loss  is  greater  in  low  pressure  owing 
to  the  atmospheric  pressure.  With  45  pounds  steam 
the  pressure  from  the  atmosphere  is  15  pounds,  or  one- 
third,  leaving  only  30  pounds  of  effective  power;  while 
with  90  pounds  the  atmospheric  pressure  is  only  one- 
sixth  of  the  boiler  pressure. 

Q.  Does  it  require  any  more  fuel  to  carry  100  pounds 
than  it  does  to  carry  60  pounds? 

A.  It  doesn’t  require  quite  ai,  much. 

O.  If  that  is  the  case  why  not  increase  the  pressure 
beyond  this  and  save  more  fuel? 

A.  Because  we  would  soon  pass  the  point  of  safety  in 
a boiler,  and  the  result  would  be  the  loss  of  life  and  prop- 
erty. 


132 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


Q.  What  do  you  consider  a safe  working  pressure  on 
a boiler? 

A.  That  depends  entirely  on  its  diameter.  While 
a boiler  of  30  inches  in  diameter  ^ inch  iron  would  carry 
140  pounds,  a boiler  of  the  same  thickness  80  inches 
in  diameter  would  have  a safe  working  pressure  of  only 
50  pounds,  which  shows  that  the  safe  working  pressure 
decreases  very  rapidly  as  we  increase  the  diameter  of  the 
boiler.  This  is  the  safe  working  pressure  for  single  riv- 
eted boilers  of  this  diameter.  To  find  the  safe  working- 
pressure  of  a double  riveted  boiler  of  the  same  diameter 
multiply  the  safe  pressure  of  the  single  riveted  by  70,  and 
divide  by  56,  this  will  give  a safe  pressure  of  a double  riv- 
eted boiler. 

O.  Why  is  a steel  boiler  superior  to  an  iron  boiler  ? 

A.  Because  it  is  much  lighter  and  stronger. 

Q.  Does  boiler  plate  become  stronger  or  weaker  as 
it  becomes  heated? 

A.  It  becomes  tougher  or  stronger  as  it  is  heated,  till 
it  reaches  a temperature  of  550  degrees,  when  it  rapidly 
decreases  its  power  of  resistance  if  it  is  heated  beyond  this 
temperature. 

Q.  How  do  you  account  for  this? 

A.  Because  after  you  pass  the  maximum  temperature 
of  550  degrees,  the  more  you  raise  the  temperature  the 
nearer  you  approach  its  fusing  point,  when  its  tenacity  or 
resisting  power  is  nothing. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


133 


Q.  What  is  the  degree  of  heat  necessary  to  fuse  iron? 

A.  2912  degrees. 

Q.  Steel? 

A.  2532  degrees. 

O.  What  class  of  boilers  are  generally  used  in  a 
threshing  engine? 

A.  The  flue  boiler  and  the  tubular  boiler. 

Q.  About  what  amount  of  heating  and  grate  surface 
is  required  per  horse  power  in  a flue  boiler? 

A.  i\bout  15  square  feet  of  heating  surface  and  Y\ 
square  feet  of  grate  surface. 

Q.  What  would  you  consider  a fair  evaporation  in 
a flue  boiler? 

A.  Six  pounds  of  water  to  1 pound  of  coal. 

Q.  How  do  these  dimensions  compare  in  a tubular 
boiler  ? 

A.  A tubular  boiler  will  require  *4  less  grate  surface, 
and  will  evaporate  about  8 pounds  of  water  to  1 pound  of 
coal. 

Q.  Which  do  you  consider  the  most  available? 

A.  The  tubular  boiler? 

Q.  Why? 

A.  It  is  the  more  economical  and  is  less  liable  to 
“collapse.” 

0.  What  do  you  mean  by  “collapse?” 

A.  It  is  a crushing  in  of  a flue  by  external  pressure. 

O.  Is  a tube  of  a large  diameter  more  liable  to  col- 


134 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


lapse  than  one  of  small  diameter? 

A.  Yes. 

Q.  Why? 

A.  Because  its  power  of  resistance  is  much  less  than 
a tube  of  a small  diameter. 

Q.  Is  the  pressure  on  the  shell  of  a boiler  the  same  as 
on  the  tubes? 

A.  No. 

Q.  What  is  the  difference? 

A.  The  shell  of  a boiler  has  a tearing  or  internal  pres- 
sure while  the  tubes  have  a crushing-  or  external  pressure. 

Q.  What  causes  an  explosion? 

A.  An  explosion  occurs  generally  from  low  water, 
allowing  the  iron  to  become  overheated  and  thereby  weak- 
ened and  unable  to  withstand  the  pressure. 

O.  What  is  a “burst?” 

A.  It  is  that  which  occurs  when  through  any  defect 
the  water  and  steam  are  allowed  to  escape  freely  without 
further  injury  to  boiler. 

Q.  What  is  the  best  way  to  prevent  an  explosion? 

A.  (i)  Never  go  beyond  the  safe  working  pressure. 
(2)  Keep  the  boiler  clean  and  in  good  repair.  (3) 
Keep  the  safety  valves  in  good  shape  and  the  water  at 
its  proper  height. 

O.  What  is  the  first  thing  to  do  on  going  to  your 
engine  in  the  morning? 

A.  See  that  the  water  is  at  its  proper  level. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


135 


Q.  What  is  the  proper  level? 

A.  Up  to  the  second  gauge. 

Q.  When  should  you  test  or  try  the  pop  valve? 

A.  As  soon  as  there  is  sufficient  pressure. 

O.  How  would  you  start  your  engine  after  it  had 
been  standing  all  night? 

A.  Slowly. 

Q.  Why? 

A.  In  order  to  allow  the  cylinder  to  become  hot,  and 
that  the  water  or  condensed  steam  may  escape  without 
injury  to  the  cylinder. 

Q.  What  is  the  last  thing  to  do  at  night? 

A.  See  that  there  is  plenty  of  water  in  the  boiler,  and 
if  the  weather  is  cold  drain  all  pipes. 

Q.  What  care  should  be  taken  of  the  fusible  plug  ? 

A.  Keep  it  scraped  clean,  and  not  allow  it  to  become 
corroded  on  top. 

O.  What  is  a fusible  plug? 

A.  It  is  a hollow  cast  plug  screwed  into  the  crown 
sheet  or  top  of  fire  box,  and  having  the  hollow  or  center 
filled  with  lead  or  babbitt. 

Q.  Is  such  a plug  a protection  to  a boiler? 

A.  It  is  if  kept  in  proper  condition. 

Q.  Can  you  explain  the  principle  of  the  fusible  or  soft 
plug  as  it  is  sometimes  called? 

A.  It  is  placed  directly  over  the  fire,  and  should  the 
water  fall  below  the  crown  sheet  the  lead  fuses  or  melts 


136 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


and  allows  the  steam  to  flow  down  on  top  of  the  fire,  de- 
stroys the  heat  and  prevents  the  burning  of  the  crown 
sheet. 

Q.  Why  don’t  the  lead  fuse  with  water  over  it  ? 

A.  Because  the  water  absorbs  the  heat  and  prevents 
it  reaching  the  fusing  point. 

Q.  What  is  the  fusing  point  of  lead? 

A.  6i8\ 

Q.  Is  there  any  objection  to  the  soft  plug? 

A.  There  is,  in  the  hands  of  some  engineers. 

Q.  Why? 

A.  It  relieves  him  of  the  fear  of  a dry  crown  sheet, 
and  gives  him  an  apparent  excuse  for  low  water. 

Q.  Is  this  a real  or  legitimate  objection? 

A.  It  is  not. 

Q.  What  are  the  two  distinct  classes  of  boilers  ? 

A.  The  externally  and  internally  fired  boilers. 

Q.  Which  is  the  most  economical? 

A.  The  internally  fired  boiler. 

Q.  Why? 

A.  Because  the  fuel  is  all  consumed  in  close  contact 
with  the  sides  of  the  furnace  and  the  loss  from  radiation 
is  less  than  in  the  externally  fired. 

Q.  To  what  class  does  the  farm  or  traction  engine  be- 
long? 

A.  To  the  internally  fired. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


137 


Q.  How  would  you  find  the  horse  power  of  such  a 
boiler  ? 

A.  Multiply  in  inches  the  circumference  of  furnace 
by  its  length,  then  multiply  the  circumference  of  one 
tube  by  its  total  length,  and  this  product  by  the  num- 
ber of  tubes,  also  taking  into  account  the  surface  in  the 
tube  sheet,  add  these  products  together  and  divide  by  144, 
this  will  give  you  the  number  of  square  feet  of  heating 
surface  in  the  boiler.  Divide  this  by  14  or  15,  which  will 
give  the  horse  power  of  the  boiler. 

Q.  Why  do  you  say  14  or  15? 

A.  Because  some  claim  that  it  requires  14  feet  of 
heating  surface  to  the  horsepower  and  others  15.  To 
give  you  my  personal  opinion  I believe  that  any  of  the 
standard  engines  today  with  good  coal  and  properly  han- 
dled, will  and  are  producing  1 horse  power  for  as  low 
as  every  10  feet  of  surface.  But  to  be  on  the  safe  side 
it  is  well  to  divide  by  15  to  get  the  horse  power  of  your 
boiler,  when  good  and  bad  fuel  is  considered. 

Q.  How  would  you  find  the  approximate  weight  of  a 
boiler  by  measurement? 

A.  Find  the  number  of  square  feet  in  surface  of  boiler 
and  fire  box,  and  as  a sheet  of  boiler  iron  or  steel  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  thick,  and  one  foot  square,  weighs 
2.52  pounds,  you  should  multiply  the  number  of  square 
feet  by  2.52  and  this  product  by  the  number  of  i6ths  of 


138  ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 

thickness  of  boiler  sheet,  and  the  product  will  approxi- 
mate the  weight  of  the  boiler. 

Q.  What  would  you  recognize  as  points  in  a good 
engineer  ? 

A.  A good  engineer  keeps  his  engine  clean  and  washes 
the  boiler  whenever  he  thinks  it  needs  it. 

Never  meddles  with  his  engine,  and  allows  no  one  else 
to  do  so. 

Goes  about  his  work  quietly,  and  is  always  in  his  place, 
only  talks  when  necessary,  never  hammers  or  bruises  any 
part  of  his  engine,  allows  no  packing  to  become  baked 
or  burnt  in  the  stuffing  box  or  glands,  renews  them  as 
quickly  as  they  show  that  they  require  it. 

Never  neglects  to  oil,  and  then  uses  no  more  than  is 
necessary. 

He  carries  a good  gauge  of  water  and  a uniform  pres- 
sure of  steam.  He  allows  no  unusual  noise  about  his  en- 
gine to  escape  his  notice — he  has  taught  his  ear  to  be  his 
guide. 

When  a job  is  about  finished  you  will  see  him  clean- 
ing his  ash  pan,  getting  his  tools  together,  a good  fire  in 
the  fire  box,  in  fact  all  ready  to  go,  and  he  loses  no  time 
after  the  belt  is  thrown  off.  He  hooks  up  to  his  load 
quietly,  and  is  the  first  man  ready  to  go. 

*Q.  When  the  piston  head  is  in  the  exact  center  of 
the  cylinder,  is  the  engine  on  the  quarter? 

*A.  It  is  supposed  to  be,  but  is  not. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  1 39 

*Q.  Why  not? 

A.  The  angularity  of  the  rod  prevents  it  reaching  the 
quarter. 

*Q.  Then  when  the  engine  is  on  the  exact  quarter 
what  position  does  the  piston  head  occupy? 

A.  It  is  nearest  the  end  next  to  the  crank. 

*Q.  If  this  is  the  case,  which  end  of  the  cylinder  is 
supposed  to  be  the  stronger? 

A.  The  opposite  end,  or  end  furthest  from  crank. 

*Q.  Why? 

A.  Because  this  end  gets  the  benefit  of  the  most  travel, 
and  as  it  makes  it  in  the  same  time,  it  must  travel  faster. 

*Q.  At  what  part  of  the  cylinder  does  the  piston  head 
reach  the  greatest  speed? 

A.  At  and  near  the  center. 

*Q.  Why? 

Figure  this  out  for  yourself. 

Q.  If  you  were  on  the  road  and  should  discover  that 
you  had  low  water,  what  would  you  do  ? 

A.  I would  drop  my  load  and  hunt  a high  place  for 
the  front  end  of  my  engine,  and  would  do  it  quickly,  too. 

Q.  If  by  some  accident  the  front  end  of  your  engine 
should  drop  down  allowing  the  water  to  expose  the  crown 
sheet,  what  would  you  do? 

*Note . — The  above  few  questions  are  given  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  you  to  notice  the  little  peculiarities  of  the  crank  engine,  and 
are  not  to  be  taken  into  consideration  in  the  operation  of  the  same, 

10 


140 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


A.  If  I had  a heavy  and  hot  fire,  would  shovel  dirt 
into  the  fire  and  smother  it  out. 

Q.  Why  would  you  prefer  this  to  drawing  the  fire? 

A.  Because  it  would  reduce  the  heat  at  once,  instead 
of  increasing  it  for  a few  minutes  while  drawing  out 
the  hot  bed  of  coals,  which  is  a very  unpleasant  job. 

Q.  W ould  you  ever  throw  water  in  the  fire  box  ? 

A.  No.  It  might  crack  the  side  sheets,  and  would 
most  certainly  start  the  flues. 

Q.  You  say,  in  finding  low  water  while  on  the  road, 
you  would  run  your  engine  with  the  front  end  on  high 
ground.  Why  would  you  do  this? 

A.  In  order  that  the  water  would  raise  over  the  crown 
sheet,  and  thus  make  it  safe  to  pump  up  the  water. 

Q.  While  your  engine  was  in  this  shape  would  you 
not  expose  the  front  end  of  the  flues? 

A.  Yes,  but  as  the  engine  would  not  be  working  this 
would  do  no  damage. 

Q.  If  you  were  running  in  a hilly  country  how  would 
you  manage  the  boiler  as  regards  water? 

A.  Would  carry  as  high  as  the  engine  would  allow 
without  priming. 

Q.  Suppose  you  had  a heavy  load  or  about  all  you 
could  handle,  and  should  approach  a long  steep  hill,  what 
condition  should  the  water  and  fire  be  in  to  give  you  the 
most  advantage  ? 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  141 

A.  A moderately  low  gauge  of  water  and  a very  hot 

fire. 

Q.  Why  a moderately  low  gauge  of  water? 

A.  Because  the  engine  would  not  be  so  liable  to  draw 
the  water  or  prime  in  making  the  hard  pull. 

Q.  Why  a very  hot  fire? 

A.  So  I could  start  the  pumps  full  without  impairing 
or  cutting  the  pressure. 

Q.  When  would  you  start  your  pump? 

A.  As  soon  as  fairly  started  up  the  hill. 

Q.  Why? 

A.  As  most  hills  have  two  sides,  I would  start  them 
full  in  order  to  have  a safe  gauge  to  go  down,  without 
stopping  to  pump  up. 

Q.  What  would  a careful  engineer  do  before  starting 
to  pull  a load  over  a steep  hill? 

A.  He  would  examine  his  clutch,  or  gear  pin. 

Q.  How  would  you  proceed  to  figure  the  road  speed 
of  a traction  engine? 

A.  First  determine  the  circumference  of  the  driver, 
then  ascertain  how  many  revolutions  the  engine  makes 
to  one  of  the  drivers.  Multiply  the  number  of  revolu- 
tions the  engine  makes  per  minute  by  60,  this  will  give 
the  number  of  revolutions  of  the  engine  per  hour.  Divide 
this  by  the  number  of  revolutions  the  engine  makes  to 
the  drivers  once,  and  this  will  give  you  the  number  of 
revolutions  the  drivers  will  make  in  one  hour.  Multiply 


142  ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 

this  quotient  by  the  circumference  of  the  driver  in  feet; 
the  product  is  the  number  of  feet  the  engine  travels  in  one 
hour.  To  find  out  how  many  miles  the  engine  can  travel 
per  hour  divide  the  last  product  by  5280. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


H3 


PUMPS 

Every  boiler  should  have  two  boiler  feeders,  either  two 
pumps  or  two  injectors,  or  an  injector  and  a pump.  Both 
of  them  should  be  in  good  working  order  all  the  time,  as 
the  safety  of  the  boiler  depends  entirely  upon  them.  It 
does  not  matter  very  much  what  particular  boiler  feeder 
is  used  so  long  as  it  is  in  good  working  order.  There 
are  dependent  pumps  and  independent  pumps,  single  tube 
and  double  tube  injectors.  They  all  may  be  made  to  work 
satisfactorily  and  with  about  equal  certainty. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  “Which  is  more  satisfac- 
tory, a cross  head  pump  or  one  of  the  independent 
pumps  ?”  This  is  a question  that  is  not  easily  answered  off 
hand.  It  depends  a good  deal  upon  circumstances  and 
upon  the  engineer’s  knowledge  of  machinery.  The  cross 
head  pump  is  a little  easier  to  manage  as  a rule,  than  the 
independent  pump,  but  it  has  a disadvantage  of  never  run- 
ning except  when  the  engine  runs.  It  is  the  simplest 
pump  made  and  rarely  gives  any  trouble.  All  that  is 
necessary  to  do  in  order  to  stop  it  is  to  shut  off  the  water 


144 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


supply.  The  independent  pumps  are  very  satisfactory  and 
will  run  whenever  there  is  steam  pressure  enough  in  the 
boiler  to  move  the  piston  in  the  pump.  They  are  ar- 
ranged generally  to  heat  the  feed  water  and  are  not  very 
wasteful  of  steam.  In  fact,  so  far  as  economy  is  con- 
cerned it  does  not  matter  particularly  what  type  of  boiler 
feeder  is  employed  for  traction  engine  purposes. 

Injectors  of  both,  the  single  and  double  tubed  type, 
have  been  used  and  are  used  widely.  They  are  simple, 
easy  to  take  care  of,  and  are  ready  to  work  at  a moment’s 
notice  whenever  the  steam  pressure  is  within  their  range 
of  action.  They  are  singularly  free  from  complex  mov- 
ing parts  and  are  not  difficult  to  repair. 

Nearly  all  injectors  are  built  on  the  same  plan.  In 
fact,  there  is  so  little  difference  between  the  injectors  that 
are  on  the  market  today,  and  those  that  were  first  built, 
that  it  is  almost  safe  to  say  there  has  been  no  marked 
improvement  in  them  since  the  beginning.  This  is  not 
strictly  true,  but  it  shows  that  the  injector  was  very  well 
perfected  by  the  original  inventor.  All  of  the  injectors 
now  offered  are  well  proportioned  and  suitable  for  the 
purpose  intended.  The  best  one  to  buy,  perhaps,  is  the 
one  that  can  be  the  most  easily  attached.  In  general, 
I would  advise  using  the  same  style  of  injector  when- 
ever a new  one  has  to  be  ordered.  For  traction  engine 
work  the  automatic  injector  is  the  only  one  worth  con- 
sidering. The  characteristic  feature  of  the  automatic  in- 


THE  NEW  HUBER  PLOW  ENGINE. 

The  Huber  Manufacturing-  Company,  Station  5,  Marion,  Ohio,  build  an 
engine  somewhat  in  a class  by  itself,  but  Standard  just  the  same. 

In  addition  to  a complete  line  of  Traction  Engines  and  Threshers  they 
build  a very  successful  combination  Road  Roller  and  heavy  hauling 
engine. 

See  article  on  Standard  Engines,  Page  119. 


if  BRARY 

Of  THE 

iJNIVS?8ITr  OF  ftywwr? 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


H5 


jector  is  its  ability  to  pick  up  and  go  on  working  again 
automatically  after  the  suction  has  been  broken. 

An  ordinary  suction  pump  will  draw  water,  theoreti- 
caly,  34  feet;  practically  the  limit  is  reached  at  about  24 
or  25  feet.  The  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  is  about  14.7 
pounds  per  square  inch  and  it  takes  2.3  feet  of  water  to 
produce  a pressure  of  one  pound,  or  in  other  words,  a 
column  of  water  one  inch  square  and  2.3  feet  high  will 
weigh  just  one  pound.  The  14.7  pounds  atmospheric 
pressure,  therefore,  will  support  a column  of  water  2.3 
times  14.7  or  33.81  feet  high.  These  are  theoretical 
figures.  In  the  case  of  a pump  there  is  a slight  leakage  of 
air  by  the  piston,  then  there  is  the  impossibility  of  secur- 
ing a perfect  vacuum  and  the  friction  and  weight  of  the 
valve  to  overcome.  All  of  these  things  taken  together 
make  it  impossible  to  lift  water  with  a suction  pump  more- 
than  25  or  26  feet  as  stated  above.  The  lifting  capacity 
of  an  injector  is  due  to  atmospheric  pressure  just  the 
same  as  in  the  case  of  a pump. 

The  jet  of  steam  when  it  first  passes  into  the  in- 
jector goes  out  through  the  overflow  and  carries  with 
it  air  in  the  suction  hose.  Atmospheric  pressure  acting 
on  the  surface  of  the  water  presses  the  water  up  into  the 
injector,  where  it  is  acted  upon  by  the  steam.  The  steam 
gives  the  water  a high  velocity,  and  is  at  the  same  time 
itself  condensed.  The  combined  stream  of  steam  and 
water,  having  a higher  velocity  than  the  water  would 


146  rough-and-tumble  engineering 

have,  if  allowed  to  run  freely  from  the  boiler,  can  over- 
come boiler  pressure  and  enter  the  boiler  without  diffi- 
culty. Since  the  injector  makes  use  of  atmospheric  pres- 
sure in  lifting  water  it  is  evident  that  its  limit,  theoreti- 
cally, is  the  same  as  that  of  the  pump.  Practically  about 
20  feet  is  its  limit  of  vertical  lift.  Ejectors  and  syphons 
are  instruments  which  make  use  of  the  injector  principle 
for  lifting  water  from  a lower  level  and  delivering  it  to 
a higher.  These  machines  are  made  with  large  jets  and 
are  suitable  for  handling  large  quantities  of  water.  They 
have  not  the  forcing  capacity  of  injectors. 

OIL 

It  is  very  difficult  to  advise  any  one  what  brand  of  oil 
to  use.  The  same  kind  of  oil  is  sold  in  various  parts  of 
the  country  under  different  trade  names.  Furthermore, 
oil  is  adulterated  in  a great  variety  of  ways.  There  is 
probably  more  fraud  practiced  in  connection  with  lubri- 
cating oils  than  anything  else  the  engineer  has  to  deal 
with.  The  fraud  in  this  line  can  be  compared  only  with 
the  fraud  in  food  products.  It  is  a very  easy  matter  to 
adulterate  an  oil  because  very  few  engineers  know  how 
to  test  an  oil  or  really  know  a good  oil  from  a poor  one. 
There  are  thousands  of  engineers  who  understand  the 
mechanical  side  of  engineering  very  well,  but  who  are  en- 
tirely ignorant  in  regard  to  oils.  The  fact  that  an  oil 
has  considerable  body  or  vicosity  is  no  index  of  its  purity 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


147 


or  of  its  suitability  as  a lubricant.  Some  of  the  poorest 
grades  of  oil  show  a very  high  flash  test,  good  viscosity 
and  a number  of  other  good  qualities  supposed  to  be 
possessed  by  first  class  oils.  Still  as  a lubricant  they  are 
worse  than  nothing  at  all.  Probably  no  class  of  people 
are  imposed  upon  in  the  matter  of  oils  more  than  the 
threshermen,  and  no  class  of  engineers  have  been  de- 
frauded more  consistently  and  continuously  than  they. 
Perhaps  it  is  not  exaggerating  conditions  to  state  that  half 
of  the  cylinder  oil  used  in  traction  engines  is  worthless. 
It  has  a high  flash  test  because  of  the  fact  that  it  contains  a 
large  amount  of  tarry  matter.  It  has  considerable  viscos- 
ity for  the  same  reason,  but  as  a lubricant  it  has  very  little 
value.  Worn  valves,  worn  pistons  and  many  of  the  ac- 
cidents which  occur  in  the  cylinders  of  steam  engines 
and  frequently  the  lack  of  power  of  the  engine  may  be 
traceable  directly  to  these  inferior  oils,  which  are  sold 
through  local  dealers  all  over  the  country  at  a very  good 
prices.  The  statement  has  been  made  time  and  again 
that  the  engineer  should,  when  he  finds  a good  grade 
of  oil,  stick  to  it.  This  is  good  advice.  The  only  diffi- 
culty is  to  find  the  good  grade,  but  when  found  it  is 
cheap  at  almost  any  price.  A good  cylinder  oil  should 
be  clear  and  not  too  heavy.  Ordinarily  it  will  not  have 
a very  high  fire  test  or  flash  test,  as  a high  flash  test  is 
an  indication  of  an  impure  oil  when  used  for  steam  pur- 
poses. Good  cylinder  oil  moreover,  should  not  contain 


I4§  rough-and-tumble  engineering 

acid.  It  should  be  practically  neutral.  The  presence  of 
free  acids  in  any  considerable  proportions  will  cause  the 
pitting  of  the  cylinder  and  the  follower  or  the  follower 
bolts  in  the  piston  and  stud  bolts  in  the  cylinder  head. 

LUBRICATORS 

There  are  two  kinds  of  lubricators  used  for  traction 
engine  cylinder  lubrication,  hydrostatic  lubricators  and 
oil  pumps.  The  hydrostatic  lubricator  makes  use  of  the 
pressure  of  a column  of  water  to  force  the  oil  into  the 
feed  pipe.  This  column  of  water  is  obtained  through  the 
condensation  of  the  steam  and  forms  a column  of  from 
one  to  two  feet  in  height,  depending  upon  how  the  con- 
nections upon  the  lubricator  are  made  up.  In  the  single 
connection  lubricator  the  length  of  the  water  column  is 
from  the  top  of  the  vertical  loop  to  the  bottom  of  the 
oil  reservoir,  usually  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches.  The 
oil  floats  up  through  the  sight-feed  glass  and  from  there 
passes  through  the  horizontal  oil  pipe  to  the  main  steam 
pipe,  where  it  is  caught  by  the  current  of  steam  and 
atomized  on  its  way  to  the  steam  chest  and  cylinder.  If 
the  oil  is  dirty  it  may  cause  trouble  by  forming  an  in- 
crustation at  the  end  of  the  oil  nozzle  in  the  sight-feed 
glass,  which  may  deflect  the  oil  against  the  sides  of  the 
glass,  thus  preventing  it  from  flowing  freely  into  the 
cylinder.  In  these  lubricators  water  is  introduced  at  the 
bottom  of  the  reservoir.  Oil  is  forced  to  the  top  and  out 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


149 


through  a small  pipe  which  leads  downward  from  the  up- 
per part  of  the  reservoir  to  the  oil  nozzle  at  the  bottom  of 
the  sight-feed  glass.  The  oil  is  therefore  forced  out  by 
the  entrance  of  water  and  this  water  is  obtained  from 
the  condensation  of  steam  in  the  pipe  connections  or  loop 
of  the  lubricator.  This  type  of  lubricator  has  been  used 
for  a great  many  years  and  has  been,  in  general,  found 
very  satisfactory  but  in  the  past  few  years  it  has  given 
way  to  oil  pumps  and  now  nearly  every  well  equipped  trac- 
tion engine  is  equipped  with  some  sort  of  pump.  There 
are  dozens  of  these  on  the  market  nearly  all  of  which  give 
satisfaction  under  proper  conditions.  Some  are  a trifle 
simpler  than  others  and  perhaps  are  a little  less  liable 
to  get  out  of  order.  Those,  however,  that  have  been 
on  the  market  for  three  or  four  years  have  been  re- 
designed and  improved  and  are  now  entirely  suitable 
for  the  work  that  is  expected  of  them.  On  the  whole, 
an  oil  pump  is  superior  to  a lubricator  for  traction  engine 
cylinder  work  on  account  of  the  positiveness  of  the  feed 
and  its  ability  to  handle  oil  under  all  sorts  of  weather 
conditions.  In  fact,  oil  pumps  are  taking  the  lead  for 
lubricating  pumps  in  all  kinds  of  machinery,  either  sta- 
tionary or  portable. 

OILING  GEARING 

The  gearing  of  traction  engines,  especially  those  that 
are  required  to  do  heavy  road  work  or  plowing,  should 


150 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


be  oiled  continuously.  The  work  which  these  gears  are 
required  to  do  is  equal  to  the  full  capacity  of  the  en- 
gine. They  are  required  to  transmit  this  power  under 
adverse  conditions.  They  are  always  working  in  the  dust 
and  dirt,  the  gears  themselves  are  rough  and  they  are 
mounted  upon  a more  or  less  flexible  foundation;  all  of 
this  has  a tendency  to  make  the  gears  cut  and  grind  and 
it  is  necessary  in  order  to  keep  them  in  any  sort  of  con- 
dition to  oil  them  continuously.  It  would  be  better  if 
the  gears  could  be  arranged  to  run  in  an  oil  bath,  but 
generally  this  is  not  practicable.  The  next  best  thing 
to  do  is  to  cause  a stream  of  drops  of  oil  to  fall  upon  the 
gears  all  the  time  they  are  at  work.  There  are  some 
traction  engines  arranged  with  an  oil  pump  and  reservoir 
for  oil  which  supplies  all  that  is  necessary.  I have  always 
considered  this  a very  good  plan.  Some  are  in  the  habit  of 
using  an  axle  grease  or  some  grade  of  hard  oil.  The  lu- 
bricating properties  of  this  oil  are  satisfactory  enough, 
but  it  is  sticky  and  catches  dust  and  dirt,  and  has  a 
tendency  to  cut  the  gears  almost  as  badly  as  though 
there  was  no  oil  present.  The  better  scheme  is  to  have 
liquid  oil  dropping  on  the  gear  teeth  and  carrying  dust 
and  dirt  with  it  as  it  drips  from  the  teeth.  In  this  way 
what  dust  does  get  caught  will  soon  be  washed  off  and 
the  gear  teeth  will  not  be  cut  very  badly. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING  1 5 1 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  PUTTING  ENGINE  ON  DEAD  CENTER 

1.  Take  up  all  lost  motion  in  the  cross  head,  connect- 
ing rod,  crank  pin,  and  main  bearings. 

2.  Turn  the  engine  a little  above  or  a little  below  cen- 
ter. The  crank  will  be  at,  say,  A,  in  the  figure. 

3.  Make  a punch  mark  on  the  engine  frame  at  any 
convenient  point  as  at  B,  then  with  a tram,  like  the  one 
shown  in  the  figure,  one  end  of  which  is  held  at  B,  mark 
C on  the  rim  of  the  fly  wheel,  crank  or  disc. 

4.  Now  make  a punch  mark  on  the  cross  head  and 
another  at  some  convenient  place  on  the  guides,  as  D 
and  E,  and  set  a pair  of  dividers  with  the  points  in  these 
two  marks. 


5.  Next  turn  the  engine  past  center  until  the  cross 
head  comes  to  the  same  position  as  before,  and  the  points 
of  the  dividers  will  exactly  fit  into  the  two  marks  D 
and  E.  The  crank  is  now  on  the  other  side  of  center 
just  exactly  as  far  as  it  was  past  center  in  the  opposite 
direction. 

6.  With  the  end  of  the  tram  in  position  B,  make 
another  mark  F,  on  the  rim  of  the  fly  wheel.  Now 


l52 


ROUGH-AND  TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


find  by  careful  measurement,  a point  on  the  wheel  G 
exactly  midway  between  C and  F.  If  the  engine  is  now 
turned  until  the  points  of  the  tram  just  fit  into  the  marks 
B and  G,  the  engine  will  be  on  dead  center.  The  other 
dead  center  should  now  be  found  by  an  exactly  similar 
process. 

DIRECTION  FOR  SETTING  A PLAIN  SLIDE  VALVE 

1.  See  that  the  set  screw  in  the  eccentric  is  set  tightly; 
then  turn  the  engine  fly  wheel  completely  around,  and  ob- 
serve if  the  valve  uncovers  one  port  as  much  as  it  does 
the  other.  If  not,  adjust  the  valve  on  its  stem  until  it 
does. 

2.  Put  the  engine  on  dead  center  by  means  of  the 
trams;  then  turn  the  eccentric  in  the  direction  the  engine 
is  to  run  until  it  shows  the  correct  amount  of  lead — 
about  one-thirty-second  of  an  inch  on  the  side  nearest 
the  piston. 

3.  Secure  the  eccentric  in  this  position  and  place  the 
engine  on  the  other  dead  center  and  see  if  the  lead  is  the 
same. 

4.  If  the  lead  is  not  the  same,  correct  one-half  of 
the  error  by  moving  the  valve  on  its  stem  and  the  other 
half  by  moving  the  eccentric.  The  valve  will  now  be 
correctly  set. 

5.  If  the  measurements  in  item  No.  1 were  accurately 
made,  the  correction  noted  in  item  No.  4 will  not  be 
necessary. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


*53 


6.  If  no  rocker  arm,  or  a direct  rocker  arm  intervenes, 
the  correct  position  of  the  eccentric  is  about  120  degrees 
ahead  of  the  crank.  If  there  is  an  indirect  rocker  arm  the 
eccentric  will  be  about  60  degrees  behind  the  crank. 

“Read,”  read  anything  that  will  give  you  a better  un- 
derstanding of  steam  and  its  uses.  Learn  to  think  for 
yourself  by  carefully  proving  or  disproving  every  theory 
or  argument  that  may  be  advanced  by  anyone,  and 
“Rough  and  Tumble”  is  a good  thing  to'  commence  on ; 
but  don’t  be  ashamed  to  acknowledge  that  you  have  read 
it  and  if  you  approve  of  it  don’t  hesitate  to  say  so. 

Only  a short  time  ago  I read  an  article  in  The  Ameri- 
can Thresherman  from  a party  who  stated  that  he  did 
not  believe  in  reading  books  on  engineering  and  stated 
that  all  he  knew  he  had  learned  in  the  field,  and  to 
prove  what  he  knew  about  the  working  of  a valve,  copied 
an  article  word  for  word  that  I had  written  in  the  first 
edition  of  “Rough  and  Tumble.”  Now  I don’t  object 
to  his  copying  the  article;  I think  he  was  making  good 
use  of  his  time  while  he  was  at  it.  But  to  copy  an  arti-  * 
cle  and  then  say  he  never  read  a book  in  order  to  make 
it  appear  that  the  ideas  were  his  was  a questionable  per- 
formance in  my  judgment. 


154 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  PRESSURE 

Now  before  bringing  this  somewhat  lengthy  lecture  to 
a close  (for  I consider  it  a mere  lecture,  a talk  with  the 
boys),  I want  to  say  something  more  about  pressure. 
You  notice  that  I have  not  advocated  a very  high  pres- 
sure; I have  not  gone  beyond  125  lbs.,  and  yet  you 
know  and  I know  that  very  much  higher  pressure  is  be- 
ing carried  wherever  the  traction  engine  is  used,  and  I 
want  to  say  that  a very  high  pressure  is  no  gauge  or 
guarantee  of  the  intelligence  of  the  engineer.  The  less 
a reckless  individual  knows  about  steam  the  higher  pres- 
sure he  will  carry.  A good  engineer  is  never  afraid 
of  his  engine  without  a good  reason,  and  then  he  refuses 
to  run  it.  He  knows  something  of  the  enormous  pres- 
sure in  the  boiler,  while  the  reckless  fellow  never  thinks 
of  any  pressure  beyond  the  100  or  140  pounds  that 
his  gauge  shows.  He  says,  “Oh ! that — that  ain’t  much 
of  a pressure,  that  boiler  is  good  for  200  pounds.”  It 
has  never  dawned  on  his  mind  (if  he  has  one)  that  that 
140  pounds  mean  T40  pounds  on  every  square  inch  in 
that  boiler  shell,  and  140  on  each  square  inch  of  tube 
sheets.  He  ought  to  be  able  to  thoroughly  appreciate 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


155 


this  almost  inconceivable  pressure.  How  many  engi- 
neers are  today  running  18  and  20  horse  power  engines 
that  realize  that  a boiler  of  this  diameter  is  not  capable 
of  sustaining  the  pressure  he  had  been  accustomed  to 
carry  in  his  little  26  or  30  inch  boiler?  On  page  139 
you  will  get  some  idea  of  the  difference  in  safe  work- 
ing pressure  of  boilers  of  different  diameters.  On  the 
other  hand  this  is  not  intended  to  make  you  timid  or 
afraid  of  your  engine,  as  there  is  nothing  to  be  afraid 
of  if  you  realize  what  you  are  handling,  and  try  to  com- 
prehend the  fact  that  your  steam  gauge  represents  less 
than  one  1-1000  part  of  the  power  you  have  under  your 
management.  You  never  had  this  put  to  you  in  this 
light  before,  did  you? 

If  you  thoroughly  appreciate  this  fact  and  will  try  to 
comprehend  this  power  confined  in  your  boiler  by  not- 
ing the  pressure,  or  power  exerted  by  your  cylinder 
through  the  small  supply  pipe,  you  will  soon  be  an  en- 
gineer who  will  only  carry  a safe  economical  pressure, 
and  if  there  comes  a time  when  it  is  necessary  to  carry 
a higher  pressure,  you  will  be  an  engineer  who  will  set 
the  pop  back  again,  when  or  as  soon  as  this  extra  pres- 
sure is  not  necessary. 

If  I can  get  you  to  comprehend  this  power  proposi- 
tion no  student  of  “Rough-and-Tumble  Engineering” 
will  ever  blow  up  a boiler. 

When  I started  out  to  talk  engine  to  you  I stated  plain- 
ly 


156 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


ly  that  this  book  would  not  be  filled  up  with  scientific 
theories,  that  while  they  were  very  nice  they  would  do 
no  good  in  this  work.  Now  I am  aware  that  I could 
have  made  a book  four  times  as  large  as  this,  and  if  I 
had  it  would  not  be  as  valuable  to  the  beginner  at  it  is 
now. 

From  the  fact  that  there  is  not  a problem  or  a ques- 
tion contained  in  it  that  any  one  who  has  a common 
school  education  can  not  solve  or  answer  without  re- 
ferring to  any  text  book,  the  very  best  engineer  in  the 
country  need  not  know  any  more  than  he  will  find  in 
these  pages.  Yet  I don't  advise  you  to  stop  here,  go  to 
the  top  if  you*  have  the  time  and  opportunity.  Had  I 
taken  up  each  step  theoretically  and  given  formulas,  ta- 
bles, rules  and  demonstrations,  the  young  engineer  would 
have  become  discouraged  and  would  never  have  read  it 
through.  He  would  have  become  discouraged  because 
he  could  not  understand  it.  Now  to  illustrate  what  I 
mean,  we  will  go  a little  deeper  and  then  still  deeper, 
and  you  will  begin  to  appreciate  the  simple  way  of  put- 
ting the  things  which  you  as  a plain  engineer  are  inter- 
ested in. 

For  example  on  page  139  we  talked  about  the  safe 
working  pressure  of  different  sized  boilers.  It  was  most 
likely  and  natural  for  you  to  say,  “How  do  I find  the 
safe  working  pressure ?”  Well,  to  find  the  safe  work- 
ing pressure  of  a boiler  it  is  first  necessary  to  find  the 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


157 


total  pressure  necessary  to  burst  the  boiler.  It  requires 
about  twice  as  much  pressure  to  tear  the  ends  out  of  a 
boiler  as  it  does  to  burst  the  shell,  and  as  the  weakest 
point  is  the  basis  for  determining  the  safe  pressure,  we 
will  make  use  of  the  shell  only. 

We  will  take  for  example  a steel  boiler  32  inches  in 
diameter  and  6 ft.  long,  inch  thick,  tensile  strength 
60,000  lbs.  The  total  pressure  required  to  burst  this 
shell  would  be  the  area  exposed  times  the  pressure.  The 
thickness  multiplied  by  the  length,  then  by  2 (as  there 
are  two  sides)  then  by  the  tensile  strength  equals  the 
bursting  pressure  : ^ x 72  x 2 x 60,000  = 3,240,000. 

The  total  bursting  pressure  and  the  pressure  per  square 
inch  required  to  burst  the  shell  is  found  by  dividing  the 
total  bursting  pressure  3,240,000  pounds  by  the  diameter 
times  the  length  3,240.000  ■—  (32x72)  — 1406  lbs. 

It  would  require  1406  lbs.  per  square  inch  to  burst 
this  shell  if  it  were  solid,  that  is  if  it  had  no  seam,  a 
single  seam  affords  62  per  cent  of  the  strength  of  shell, 
I4o6x.62  = 87i  lbs.  to  burst  the  seam  if  single  riveted; 
add  20  per  cent  if  double  riveted. 

To  determine  the  safe  working  pressure  divide  the 
bursting  pressure  of  the  weakest  place  by  the  factor  of 
safety.  The  United  States  Government  uses  a factor  of 
6 for  single  riveted  and  adds  20  per  cent  for  double  riv- 
eted 871  -f-  6=  145  lbs.,  the  safe  working  pressure  of 
this  oarticular  boiler,  if  single  riveted. 


1 58 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


Now  suppose  you  take  a boiler  the  same  length  and 
of  the  same  material,  but  80  inches  in  diameter.  The 
bursting  pressure  would  be  3,240,000  -4-  (80x72)  =560 
lbs.,  and  the  safe  working  pressure  would  be  560  -4-  6 = 
93  lbs. 

You  will  see  by  this  that  the  diameter  has  much  to  do 
with  the  safe  working  pressure. 

All  of  which  is  nice  for  you  to  know,  and  it  may  start 
you  on  a higher  course,  but  it  will  not  make  you  handle 
your  engine  any  better  on  the  road  or  in  the  field. 

Suppose  we  give  you  a little  touch  of  rules,  and  for- 
mulas in  boiler  making. 

For  instance  you  want  to  know  the  per  cent  of  strength 
of  single  riveted  and  double  riveted  as  compared  to  solid 
iron.  Some  very  simple  rules,  or  formulas,  are  appli- 
cable. 

Find  the  per  cent  of  strength  to  the  solid  iron  in  a 
single-riveted  seam,  inch  plate,  $4  inch  rivet,  pitched 
or  spaced  2 inch  centers.  First  reduce  all  to  decimal 
form,  as  it  simplifies  the  calculation ; = .25  and  $4 

inch  rivets  will  require  eleven-sixteenth  inch  hole,  this 
hole  is  supposed  to  be  filled  by  the  rivet,  after  driving, 
consequently  this  diameter  is  used  in  the  calculation, 
eleven-sixteenths  inches  equals  .6875. 

First  find  the  per  cent  of  strength  of  the  sheet. 


ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE  ENGINEERING 


159 


P— D 

The  formula  is = per  cent. 

P 

P — the  pitch,  D = the  diameter  of  the  rivet  hole,  per 
cent  = per  cent  of  strength  of  the  solid  iron. 

2— .6875 

Substituting  values, = .66. 

2 

Now,  of  course,  you  understand  all  about  that,  but  it 
is  Greek  to  some  people. 

So  you  see  I have  no  apologies  to  make  for  following 
out  my  plain  comprehensive  talk,  have  not  confused  you, 
or  lead  you  to  believe  that  it  requires  a great  amount  of 
study  to  become  an  engineer.  I mean  a practical  engi- 
neer, not  a mechanical  engineer.  I just  touch  mechanical 
engineering  to  show  you  that  that  is  something  else. 

If  you  are  made  of  the  proper  stuff  you  can  get  enough 
out  of  this  little  book  to  make  you  as  good  an  engineer 
as  ever  pulled  a throttle  on  a traction  engine.  But  this 
is  no  novel.  Go  back  and  read  it  again,  and  every  time 
you  read  it  you  will  find  something  you  had  not  noticed 
before. 


The  Famous  Madison-Kipp  Oil  Pump 

INSURES  POSITIVE  LUBRICATION 

Under  the  most  severe  conditions — 
perfect  lubrication — economical  use  of 
oil  and  decreased  wear  and  tear  of 

engine. 

This  style  D (single  or  double  feed) 
lubricator  was  designed  for  traction 
Engines  and  all  Engines  running  .out 
of  doors.  It  is  sold  on  the  positive 
guarantee  of  “satisfaction  or  money 
refunded.”  It  is  noted  for  extreme 
Simplicity — has  no  valves,  no  springs — 
no  stuffing  boxes  in  the  pumping 
mechanism  and  will  pump  heavy,  dirty 
and  cold  oil  accurately.  The  working 
parts  are  made  very  heavy  and  strong 
and  will  withstand  many  times  the 
strain  that  will  be  thrown  on  them  in 
service.  The  plungers  are  a special 
grade  of  steel,  casehardened  and  ac- 
curately ground  to  fit  the  barrels.  The 
pawls  are  drop  forgings,  forged  from 
open  hearth  steel  and  hardened 
through  and  through  after  being  care- 
fully machined. 

The  man  who  is  looking  for  a first-class,  reliable  oil  pump  that 
is  always  on  the  job  will  find  in  the  MADISON-KIPP  his  ideal. 
The  pump  requires  no  attention  other  than  to  be  filled  with  oil. 
Each  pump  is  provided  with  a warming  chamber  to  warm  the  oil 
when  a poor  grade  is  used  so  that  it  will  not  solidify.  The  warm- 
ing chamber  is  used  only  when  the  oil  gets  solid. 

MADISON-KIPP  OIL  PUMPS  keep  your  engine  and  separator 
perfectly  lubricated — no  stops  on  account  of  hot  boxes  or  ground 
out  bearings.  Time  means  money  and  you  save  time  and  lots  of 
it  with  a MADISON-KIPP  LUBRICATOR  on  your  Engine  or  Sep- 
arator— also  save  big  repair  bills.  Write  for  our  special  Catalog 
which  tells  all  about  this  lubricating  proposition. 

MADISON-KIPP  LUBRICATOR  CO., 

Madison,  Wis.,  U.S.A. 


HERE  IS  POSITIVE  PROOF 

of  Madison-Kipp  Oil  Pump  Efficiency 


The  illustration  shows  our  Celebrated  Model  20  Multiple  Plunger 
Pump  covered  with  ice  and  frost  successfully  handling  640°  fire 
test  cylinder  oil  2 degrees  below  zero.  This  model  is  especially 
adapted  for  all  internal  combustion  motors — particularly  gas  trac- 
tors. It  is  built  in  any  number  of  feeds  from  one  to  twelve  feeds 
inclusive — each  has  independent  adjustment  and  continuous  self- 
sight feed.  We  also  build  this  model  on  the  “NO  VALVE”  prin- 
ciple, and  it  will  accurately  pump  and  sight  feed  the  heaviest  oil 
in  the  coldest  weather. 

An  important  feature  of  this  pump  is  the  individual  compart- 
ment which  enables  the  pumping  of  different  kinds  of  oil — oil 
adapted  to  cylinder,  oil  adapted  to  the  crank  pins,  oil  adapted  to 
the  main  boxes  and  driving  gears  of  gasoline  and  kerosene  traction 
engines. 

This  pump  is  constructed  of  phosphor  bronze  castings,  drop  forg- 
ings, high  grade  tool  steel,  die  moulded  castings  and  malleable 
castings  and  will  stand  up  under  the  hardest  conditions  without 
breakage  or  strain. 

Equip  your  tractor  with  a MADISON  KIPP  PUMP  and  be  in  line 
for  a profitable  run.  A special  catalog  bearing  upon  this  lubricator 
question  sent  for  the  asking. 

MADISON-KIPP  LUBRICATOR  CO., 

Madison , Wis.,  U.  S.  A . 


PICKERING’S 

Reliable  Governor 

Equipped  with  WIDE  RANGE  SPEED 
CHANGER,  avoiding  all  changes  in  pulleys 
or  belts. 

“The  Governor  Without  Joints'’ 

SECURES — Closeness  in  regulation,  stability 
in  action,  efficiency  in  service,  maximum 
durability. 


It  is  not  how  much  you  save 
in  the  price  of  a Governor,  but 
which  Governor  prolongs  the 
life  of  your  engine  and  saves 
grain  by  efficient  regulation. 


©0 

00 

It  is  not  wise  to  allow  a Gov** 
ernor  to  pound  a good  engine  to 
pieces  simply  because  the  Gov= 
ernor  is  produced  more  cheap= 
ly,  to  say  nothing  o loss  in 
grain,  service  and  time. 


^PICKEWNGffiS 


PORTLAND,  CONNECTICUT,  U.S.A 


It  is  acknowledged  by  all  that  the  varying  duties  of  an  engine 
today  necessitate  arrangement  for  quickly  changing  the  speed  of 
the  engine  to  suit  the  various  duties  and  this  must  be  done  by 
some  simple  contrivance  to  insure  efficiency  and  durability.  Many 
devices  have  been  attempted  which  have  been  efficient  at  the  start, 
but,  due  to  complication  and  delicacy  of  the  parts,  resulted  in 
rapid  depreciation.  The  illustration  here  shown  of  the  Pickering 
Ball  Ranger  will  impress  anyone  with  its  marked  simplicity.  As 
will  be  noticed,  steel  balls  are  forced  between  the  rods  leading  to 
top  of  governor  and  the  one  on  which  the  valve  is  hung,  which 
quickly  locates  the  valve  to  the  required  load  and  speed.  By  turn- 
ing in  on  the  screw,  the  valve  is  lowered,  or  by  backing  out  on 
this  screw,  the  balls  are  released  and  allow  the  valve  to  raise. 
After  finding  the  correct  position,  the  adjustment  is  locked  by 
means  of  the  small  barred  nut  which  is  shown. 

In  the  Pickering  Governor  no  change  is  made  in  tension  of  the 
spiral  spring  for  change  in  speed,  the  spring  merely  being  to  sup- 
port the  valve  or  adust  the  Governor  to  individual  conditions, 
therefore,  once  securing  the  proper  tension  on  this  spring  no  fur- 
ther adjustment  is  made  and  the  tension  not  being  excessive,  the 
springs  prove  exceedingly  durable.  Change  in  speed  through  spring 
adustment  is  not  correct,  but  should  be  made  independent  of  the 
spring  and  which  is  accomplished  by  the  Ball  Ranger. 

There  are  no  joints  in  the  Pickering  Governor,  and  this  ac- 
counts for  its  closeness  of  regulation,  marked  stability,  and  free- 
dom from  wear.  The  same  construction  is  observed  in  the  Ranger, 
there  being  absolutely  no  joints  and  no  possibility  for  wear.  This 
Ranger  was  devised  by  people  who  have  had  practical  experience 
in  the  regulation  of  engines  for  many  years  and  who  have  always 
paid  particular  attention  to  efficiency,  with  durability,  because 
durability  is  a very  important  item  to  the  user  and  secures  con- 
tinual efficiency. 

The  builders  of  this  Governor  have  on  file  specifications  from 
every  engine-builder  in  the  United  States  and  are  prepared  to  im- 
mediately supply  Governors  to  suit  any  build  of  engine,  if  tha 
maker’s  name  is  merely  given. 


If  you  want  the  best  results,  equip  your  thresher  with 
“THE  GANDY  THRESHER  BELT,”  the  only  alto- 
gether satisfactory  thresher  belt  made.  Thirty-two 
years  of  service  and  twenty  thousand  users  have  proven 
that  “THE  GANDY  THRESHER  BELT”  is  of  high 
efficiency  and  more  economical  than  any  other  belt  on 
the  market. 

We  carry  in  stock  all  widths  ranging  from  5"  to  9" 
inclusive  in  4-ply  in  lengths  from  60  to  160  ft.  inclusive  at 
intervals  of  10  ft.,  and  in  5 and  6-ply  from  120  to  160  ft. 
inclusive  at  intervals  of  10  ft.  Look  for  the  stamp, 
“THE  GANDY  THRESHER  BELT,”  for  with  each 
belt  goes  our  guarantee,  and  every  one  that  fails  to  give 
satisfaction,  when  properly  treated,  will  be  replaced. 

When  dressings  are  requird  use  GANDY  BELT 
DRESSING,  manufactured  especially  by  us  for  use  on 
our  belt.  It  renders  the  belt  soft  and  pliable,  prevents 
it  from  slipping  and  adds  to  its  life.  Put  up  in  5,  10,  25 
and  50  lb.  cans. 

THE  GANDY  BELTING  COMPANY, 
Baltimore,  Md. 


THE  POWELL 
SIGHT  REED  LUBRICATORS 

The  “TROJAN”  Steam  Cylinder 
Lubricator,  being  our  former  Class 
“A”  reconstructed  and  very  much  im- 
proved. The  name  is  exceedingly  ap- 
plicable for  it  works  like  a Trojan. 
All  the  good  features  of  the  old  Cup 
retained,  and  many  conveniences  for 
operating  added.  Body  and  arms  cast 
in  a piece,  doing  entirely  away  with 
leaky  joints,  making  a very  rigid  and 
strong  construction  and  a perfect  lubri- 
cator; best  constructed  and  up-to-date 
lubricator. 

The  Single  Connection  “CRES- 
CENT” Lubricator,  specially  adapted 
for  pumps  and  small  engines.  It  is 
warranted  thoroughly  reliable,  even 
though  low  priced.  Requires  very  lit- 
tle attention,  beyond  keeping  it  filled 
with  oil. 

Answers  admirably  for  Steam,  Trac- 
tion and  Road  Engines.  Will  work  in 
the  coldest  weather. 

Send  a sample  order  for  the  lubri- 
cators and  by  a practical  test  satisfy 
yourselves  of  their  efficiency  and  supe- 
riority. 

Order  through  your  nearest  hardware 
store.  He  has  them  or  can  get  them  for 
you. 

THE  WM,  POWELL  CO., 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO,  U.  S.  A. 


The  Gould  Balance  Valve, 
which  is  now  being  used 
by  a large  number  of  the 
leading  manufacturers  of 
traction  engines  in  ^che 
United  States  and  Canada, 
represents  the  highest  type 
of  a perfectly  balanced 
valve.  It  is  simple,  in  con- 
struction, accurate  in  de- 
sign, easily  attached  to  any 


engine  .using  a common 
slide  valve,  and  by  reliev- 
ing the  engine  from  the 
strain  of  pulling  the  valve, 
increases  the  power  of  the 
_ engine  correspondingly. 

Its  construction  embodies  the  valve  proper  which  is  protected 
by  a removable  cover  fitting  steam  tight  around  the  back  and  sides 
of  the  valve,  thus  preventing  the  boiler  pressure  of  130  lbs.  per 
square  inch  from  pressing  against  the  back  of  the  valve;  and  as 
the  area  exposed  in  a slide  valve  is  usually  from  40  to  50  square 
inches,  you  can  easily  compute  the  load  you  are  avoiding  by  using 
a Gould  Balance  Valve. 

Our  large  catalogue  is  mailed  free  on  request  and  it  presents, 
for  your  study  and  consideration,  some  remarkably  fine  points 
for  students  of  steam  engineering,  among  which  are  the  follow- 
ing: 

Boiler  pressure  on  the  back  of  a slide  valve. 

Number  of  tons  weight  on  a slide  valve. 

Power  consumed  in  driving  the  valve. 

Oil  wasted  in  lubricating  the  valve. 

Wear  on  valve  gear  and  its  effect  on  valve. 

Removing  the  load  and  how  it  is  done. 

Utilizing  the  power  wasted  to  increase, 
the  power  of  the  engine. 

Good  live  young  men  who  understand 
steam  engineering  wanted  as  agents  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada. 

Address  GOULD  BALANCE  VALVE  COMPANY, 

P.  O.  Box  1385,  Kellogg,  Iowa. 


KINO  CORN-SHELLED  OUT 


“WESTERN”  PORTABLE  CORN  SHELLER 
Built  in  Three  Sizes* 

The  “Western”  Field  Portable  Corn  Sheller  does  it  at  the  rate 
of  from  600  to  1,500  bushels  an  hour.  That  makes  it  “The  Boss” 
sheller  of  the  world.  We  have  been  twenty-five  years  in  leading 
the  procession  of  corn  shellers  with  the  best  machine  known.  We 
shall  keep  there  as  long  as  there  is  corn  to  be  shelled,  and  a stand- 
ard of  excellence  to  be  maintained. 

Many  merits  belong  to  the  “Western.”  It  is  strong,  speedy  and 
durable;  it  turns  out  clean  grain  and  separates  the  shucks  from 
the  cobs  by  a device  of  our  own.  Powerful  fans  blow  away  the 
refuse.  It  has  an  easily  adjusted  steel  elevator  and  a low  down 
feeder  that  does  its  work  evenly  and  with  half  the  usual  number 
of  scoopers,  making  money  by  the  saving  in  time  and  labor. 

It  is  a machine  so  good  in  its  parts  and  as  a whole  as  t» 
leave  little  or  nothing  for  improvement.  If  you  are  going  to  get  a 
corn  sheller  buy  the  “Western” — it  will  put  you  out  of  conceit  with 
all  other  makes.  If  your  dealer  cannot  supply  you,  address 

UNION  IRON  WORKS,  Decatur,  Illinois. 


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